NIHOTOUR and X3M launch “Welcome Home” initiative
Federal Government has condemned the killing of two Nigerians in South Africa and the murder of a trader in Côte d’Ivoire, demanding that those responsible be brought to justice.

It also expressed concern over what it described as the growing insecurity facing Nigerians living in South Africa amid renewed xenophobic and Afrophobic tensions.

In a statement issued yesterday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government identified one of the victims as Emeka Charles Iroegbu, who was allegedly killed by officers of the Tshwane Metro Police on June 28, 2026, in Sunnyside, Pretoria.

According to the ministry, the same officers had earlier been linked to the alleged extra-judicial killing of another Nigerian, Nnaemeka Mathew Andrew Ekpenyong, on April 20.

The government noted that although the identities of the four officers involved in Ekpenyong’s case were known to the South African Police Service, no arrests have been made.

The second victim, Musa Yunana Joe, popularly known as Big Joe, was reportedly shot dead in front of his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga, on June 28 by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

It warned that attempts to portray hardworking and law-abiding Nigerians as criminals were dangerous and capable of fueling further attacks.

It also urged the South African authorities to urgently investigate the two latest killings and other unresolved cases involving Nigerian nationals and ensure that all those responsible were prosecuted.

IN the Côte d’Ivoire case, the Federal Government has demanded an explanation from the authorities over the death of a 24-year-old Nigerian trader, Usama Murtala, after months of detention without trial.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, raised the issue when she summoned the Ivorian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kalilou Traore, to her office in Abuja.

She also demanded compensation for the deceased’s family and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Usama and five other traders from Sokoto had travelled to Abidjan by road in August last year for business before they were arrested and detained at the MACA Prison without charge or trial.

MEANWHILE, the Nigerian Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has officially launched its “Welcome Home” programme at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

The initiative was established as an immediate, practical response to support hundreds of Nigerian citizens who were recently repatriated on emergency flights following a June 30, 2026, deadline set by anti-migrant groups in South Africa.

Rather than issuing a standard institutional statement, NIHOTOUR partnered with the leading creative agency X3M Ideas to build a comprehensive, physical welcome system at the point of arrival.

“They said go home. We say welcome home,” said Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Dr Abisoye Fagade.