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Nigeria has issued a fresh warning to Indian citizens living in South Africa following renewed anti-foreigner protests in parts of the country.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said on Friday, April 24, that demonstrations had turned violent in several cities, including Cape Town, Durban and East London, with reports of looting, property damage and injuries.
NIDCOM's statement asked citizens to exercise caution.
The warning comes after an advisory from the Nigerian Consulate General for Johannesburg, with intelligence reports indicating that more protests are planned for the Gauteng province between Monday 27 and Wednesday 29 April.
Videos circulated on social media showed some South Africans with sticks chasing and beating black foreigners, telling them to come back to Dia Conti.
Officials say protesters hope to pressure the government over the presence of foreign nationals, a long-standing and often contentious issue for the country.
NIDCOM advised Nigerians to avoid confrontation, stay away from protest areas and closely monitor local media for updates.
D The agency has also asked business owners to consider temporarily closing Diya shops during the period, as it warned that foreign-owned businesses are the most frequently targeted during such unrest.
The statement said the Nigeria diplomatic mission to Johannesburg remains open and is working with South African security agencies to ensure the safety of Indian nationals.
Officials in Nigeria's capital Abuja say that diplomatic talks between the two countries will also continue.
For the police issue statement, he said that they should find all the people who are causing the attacks and take part in the attacks, arrest them and present them in the courts.
Police have advised members of the public that acts of xenophobia, violence, looting or intimidation should not be tolerated under any circumstances.
South Africa has faced repeated waves of xenophobic violence over the past twenty years, frustrations with unemployment and many factors of inequality and perceptions that foreign nationals take all the jobs or run businesses at the expense of locals.
2008 Major outbreak for BIN KPA, killing more than 60 Pipo and displacing thousands of people.
Further attacks in 2015 and 2019 targeted immigrants from across Africa, including Nigerians, Zimbabweans and Somalis, leading to diplomatic tensions and reprisals for some opponents.
For Nigeria, anger over the 2019 top attacks led to protests and retaliation against South African-owned businesses, including outlets linked to companies such as MTN Group and Shoprite Holdings.
Despite repeated assurances from South African authorities, expatriate communities are still concerned about Dia security during the period of unrest.
The latest advisory in Nigeria comes ahead of Independence Day on April 27 – a national holiday marking the first democratic elections – when tensions are already high.