Nigeria’s consulate in South Africa says three Nigerians died between 18 and 21 September. Its account puts a different actor in each case.

Kenechukwu Igwemadu died on 18 September in Bloemfontein. The consulate says he allegedly jumped to his deathwhile trying to escape police harassment and brutality at Kenlin Court. Two days later, in Mamelodi East near Pretoria, Olaniyi Olatunde, a security guard at a bar, was shot by a customer who was leaving with the club’s cup, it says. He died in hospital on 21 September. The consulate says the shooter fled, then returned to the club and threatened to kill anyone who identified him.

On 21 September, Christian Nnaemeka died in Primrose, Ekurhuleni, after an operation by the team behind Sizok’thola. It’s a television crime programme led by the politician Xolani Khumalo. The consulate says Nnaemeka was assaulted and tortured, and that nothing incriminating was found on him. It says he collapsed after trying to climb a fence and was dead on arrival at hospital.

Those are the consulate’s allegations, and none has been tested in court. Khumalo hasn’t publicly responded to them, The Journal reported. Consul-General Ninikanwa Okey-Uche said the deaths, coming in quick succession, raise questions about whether Nigerians are being targeted in South Africa. She asked South African authorities to establish the circumstances of each and to prosecute anyone responsible.

Premium Times counts at least 12 Nigerians killed in South Africa this year. Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s envoy to South Africa, says 112 have been killed since 2022, 32 of them by members of the security forces. He says no one has been brought to justice or convicted for any of them.

Some killings have led to arrests. In December 2025, South African police arrested four traffic officers over the killing of Osinakachukwu Onu on the N12 in Klerksdorp, and a court denied them bail. The consulate says no arrest has followed the death of Emeka Uzor, who was shot on 8 February, South African outlets reported, while the Sizok’thola crew was filming in Randburg. Police said at the time that a murder case had been opened and no arrest made. The consulate also notes that Khumalo is running for mayor of Ekurhuleni.

On 30 August, Tinubu formally reported the attacks to the African Union. He asked for the matter to go on the agenda of its January 2027 session. He also acknowledged South Africa’s right to enforce its immigration laws.

None of the coverage cited here reports an arrest in any of the three September deaths.