Nigeria has asked South African authorities to investigate the deaths of two of its citizens in separate incidents in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle was shot and killed at his home in Kensington, Johannesburg, on 4 September. It also said James Uchechukwu Nwankwo died in police custody in Somerset West on 5 September.
The circumstances described by the ministry have not yet been independently confirmed by South African authorities. The Associated Press reported that South African Police Service representatives had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Nigeria’s ministry called for full investigations and accountability. It described the deaths as part of what it alleged was a pattern of attacks on Nigerian nationals in South Africa. That characterisation remains an allegation by the Nigerian government, not a finding by South African investigators.
Nigeria’s National Assembly has also suspended official parliamentary visits to South Africa, including attendance at a Commonwealth parliamentary conference, while it seeks clarity on the cases.
The development adds pressure to a relationship that both governments have repeatedly described as important to trade, diplomacy and regional cooperation.
Neither a police case update nor a statement from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate was available at the time of publication. EBNewsDaily will update this report when South African authorities provide a verified account of the two incidents.
