Nigerians living in South Africa have raised alarm over a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks allegedly spearheaded by an anti-migrant group known as Operation Dudula.
Leaders of Nigerian communities in the country say the campaign has worsened in recent weeks, with foreigners being harassed, barred from hospitals, and even denied access to basic health services.
Disturbingly, some women have been forced to give birth on bare floors outside clinics after being turned away.
In a viral video seen online, a man identified as one of the group’s leaders was captured ordering foreigners out of a public hospital.
If you know yourself that you are not a South African, please stand up. Stand up right now. Don’t try us because we are going to check everybody, he declared while ejecting patients.
Founded as a grassroots campaign, Operation Dudula claims it is fighting illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and the takeover of jobs by undocumented foreigners. However, Nigerian leaders say the group has become notorious for blocking clinics, harassing patients, and targeting immigrants.
The President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), Frank Onyekwelu, described the situation as another phase of xenophobia.
We see this as outright hate and injustice against foreign nationals. Imagine a woman giving birth on the bare floor outside a hospital without medical care.
Some patients are being discharged without treatment. In life-and-death cases, they may simply die like chickens, he lamented.
Onyekwelu disclosed that while those who could afford private healthcare were seeking alternatives, Nigerian doctors in South Africa were stepping in to assist victims until a resolution was reached.
Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA), Smart Nwobi, condemned the harassment, warning that the crisis had reached an alarming level.
He cited the case of a nursing mother who was barred from immunising her baby at a public hospital despite having a doctor’s appointment.
“It is very disturbing. We are appealing to the government to deploy security to public facilities to stop criminals from taking the law into their hands,” he said.
Nwobi stressed that Operation Dudula was not an official arm of government but a coalition of locals accusing foreigners of depriving them of opportunities. He added that some leaders of the movement were themselves of foreign descent.
Former Nigerian diplomats have also warned that the attacks could strain bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa.
Ex-Nigerian Consul to Cameroon, Rasheed Akinkuolie, described the harassment of Nigerians as “illegal, unauthorised and reminiscent of apartheid-era thuggery.
“Why are they targeting Black foreigners while ignoring whites their real oppressors? he queried. He urged the Nigerian government to summon the South African ambassador for urgent talks.
Similarly, retired ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, cautioned that the expulsion of foreigners from public facilities risked denting African solidarity.
This could spark diplomatic tensions and weaken African unity, he warned.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that African Ambassadors in South Africa are already engaging Pretoria on the crisis.
Spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said: African Ambassadors in South Africa are engaging the South African Government to secure a lasting solution.
Despite condemnation by South African authorities, Nigerians say the harassment persists, with reports that by next year Operation Dudula may even attempt to stop foreign children from attending public schools.
Nigerians in the diaspora community and advocacy groups are now considering legal action at the South African High Court while urging Abuja to push for stronger protection for its citizens.
For many Nigerians in South Africa, the fear is not just about harassment but survival. The hostility is overwhelming, said Ify Eze, a Nigerian who recently relocated.
If you pass immigration without being insulted, it feels like divine intervention.
