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The Federal Government has said that no Nigerian was killed and no Nigerian-owned property was destroyed during recent anti-foreigner protests in parts of South Africa.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this in a situation report titled “South Africa Protests: Situation Report”, published on her X handle on Sunday.
She said the Federal Government was closely monitoring rising tensions linked to anti-foreigner demonstrations in selected cities in South Africa, noting that President Bola Tinubu had expressed concern over the situation and directed enhanced diplomatic engagement.
Read Also: US Cautions Citizens In UK After Terrorism Threat Alert
According to her, while viral images circulating on social media suggested violence and xenophobic attacks, official reports from South African authorities indicated that recent protests in Pretoria and Johannesburg between 27 and 29 April 2026 were largely peaceful, though security operatives occasionally used tear gas to disperse gatherings.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, however, noted that two Nigerians reportedly died in separate incidents unrelated directly to the protests, involving alleged interactions with security personnel.
She identified one of the deceased as Amamiro Chidiebere Emmanuel, who reportedly died from injuries sustained during an encounter with military personnel of the South African National Defence Force, while another Nigerian, Nnaemeka Matthew Andrew, was found dead after an alleged encounter with metro police officers.
She described both incidents as “condemnable and unacceptable,” adding that the Nigerian High Commission was following up on investigations to ensure justice.
The minister also disclosed that another round of demonstrations was expected between 4 and 8 May 2026, while the Federal Government had intensified diplomatic engagement with South African authorities.
She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria had summoned South Africa’s High Commissioner to Nigeria over the situation, while Nigerian missions in South Africa remained in constant contact with host authorities.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu added that arrangements were underway for voluntary repatriation of Nigerians willing to return home, with about 130 people already registered for evacuation.
She stressed that Nigeria remained committed to protecting its citizens abroad and working with South Africa to prevent further xenophobic tensions, recalling Nigeria’s historical support for South Africa during its liberation struggle.
She also noted that both countries had previously signed a memorandum of understanding on early warning mechanisms aimed at preventing and managing crises affecting citizens of both nations.
The United States government has urged its citizens in the United Kingdom to stay safe after the authorities issued a national terrorism threat alert.
The U.S. Embassy advised Americans to remain alert in public places such as schools, hospitals, churches, tourist locations and transportation hubs.
“Keep a low profile; remain aware of your surroundings; review your personal security plans,” the advisory reads, urging citizens to report social media threats and suspicious activity.
Read Also: Maduro Seeks Dismissal Of New York Narco-Terrorism Case
The UK’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the threat level from “substantial” to “severe” this week, meaning an attack is highly likely within the next six months.
The action followed a stabbing attack targeting the Jewish community in Golders Green, north London, formally declared a terrorist incident by counter-terrorism policing.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman, a Somali-born British national, faces multiple charges, including attempted murder. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15.
London, however, explained that the threat level was raised not solely because of the attack, citing threats from radical Islamist and extreme right-wing individuals and groups in the UK.
The last time the UK threat level was at “severe” was in November 2021, after the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the murder of Sir David Amess, a long-time Member of Parliament.
Israel published a report in February, wherein it sounded the alarm about the penetration of extremist ideology into terrorist organizations seeking to target Jewish communities in Europe.
Former Venezuela President, Nicolas Maduro appeared in a federal courtroom in Manhattan on Thursday for the second time since his capture by United States forces in early January, pressing for the dismissal of narco-terrorism charges against him in a case that has generated acute legal and geopolitical complexity and drawn close scrutiny from governments across Latin America and beyond.
The ousted Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, appeared before Judge Alvin Hellerstein at the Southern District of New York in a procedural hearing focused primarily on whether the case can proceed at all, given a dispute over who may legally pay for Maduro’s defense counsel.
At issue is a decision by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to reverse an earlier administrative approval that would have allowed the Venezuelan government to fund Maduro’s legal representation. His attorney, Barry Pollack, has said he will be forced to withdraw from the case if OFAC does not authorize Venezuela to cover the fees. He has argued that blocking state payment constitutes a violation of Maduro’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel of his choosing, and on those grounds filed a motion to have the indictment thrown out entirely. “The only solution is to drop the charges, because this court cannot allow this case to proceed in violation of constitutional rights,” Pollack wrote in a court submission.
Prosecutors countered that the initial OFAC authorization was an administrative error and maintained that OFAC regulations expressly prohibit the use of funds controlled by a sanctioned government to cover the legal fees of a separately sanctioned individual. They noted that Maduro retains access to his personal funds in Venezuela and, should those be insufficient, would be entitled to court-appointed representation under U.S. law.
Legal analysts said dismissal on those grounds appeared unlikely given the presiding judge’s experience with high-profile national security proceedings, but that Hellerstein’s response to the constitutional arguments would be closely watched nonetheless. William Dodge, an international law professor at George Washington University, told CNN the defense faced substantial obstacles on multiple fronts.
“Under the U.S. Constitution, it’s the president who gets to determine who to recognize as head of state, and I am 100 percent certain a U.S. court is not going to second-guess a U.S. determination that Maduro is no longer head of state,” he said. He added that while the capture itself violated international law, long-established U.S. precedent holds that the illegality of bringing a defendant into court does not affect that court’s jurisdiction.
