ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria will deport 130 Nigerians living in South Africa following a new wave of anti-immigration protests in that country, according to the foreign minister, who called on South Africa's top representative on Monday to express concerns.
Nigeria's Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the repatriation effort as voluntary and said more people were expected to sign up.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu was meeting with the Acting High Commissioner to South Africa to express the Nigerian government's “serious concerns”.
No Nigerians were killed in last week's protests in South Africa against migrants, who have been targeted for years and accused of taking jobs in a country with high unemployment.
South African authorities have condemned the violence and promised to crack down on “xenophobic acts”.
Separately, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said he spoke by phone with his Nigerian counterpart to consider “the challenges posed by irregular migration” and to address the causes and find solutions.
Last month, two Nigerians were killed in separate incidents with South African security personnel. After Monday's meeting, Nigeria's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the West African nation had requested an investigation into their deaths and asked for cooperation “in providing autopsy reports” to the families of the deceased.