Abuja: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu refused on Monday, July 27, 2026, to receive a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, bearing a message, because of the ongoing xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

According to Burkina Information Agency, a delegation led by South African Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ronald Lamola arrived in Abuja on July 24 to deliver a message from President Cyril Ramaphosa to his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu. The Nigerian president refused to receive the delegation because of the ongoing attacks against Nigerians, their businesses and their property in South Africa.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu highlighted the lack of prior agreement for the meeting and the lack of concrete commitments from Pretoria. The South African delegation was then received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (equivalent to a deputy minister), Sola Enikanolaiye. During this meeting, Sola Enikanolaiye stated that South African authorities should prosecute suspects according to the law, rather than tolerate lynchings.

Nigeria also demands that South Africa ratify the memorandum relating to the early warning mechanism signed between the two countries in October 2025. This memorandum provides for the exchange of information on threats of violence, the protection of citizens and the establishment of rapid communication channels in order to prevent attacks against foreigners. Ronald Lamola assured the Nigerian delegation that Pretoria condemned xenophobia and intended to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice.

Following the discussions, the parties pledged to ease tensions and continue their cooperation to protect foreign nationals.