Vice President Kashim Shettima has issued a strong warning to South Africa over the alleged humiliation and mistreatment of Nigerians and other African nationals.

He declared that Nigeria would no longer tolerate any form of xenophobic or Afrophobic attacks against its citizens.

Shettima, while calling for robust dialogue between Abuja and Pretoria, said the dignity and safety of Nigerians must be respected, stressing that Nigeria would always speak out whenever its citizens were subjected to unacceptable treatment.

The Vice President spoke in Luanda, Angola, shortly before his departure for Nigeria after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

He also reminded South Africans of Nigeria’s historic sacrifices and contributions to the liberation of Southern Africa, saying those who benefited from such support should not turn around to humiliate Nigerians.

The Vice President said the Nigerian government and people would no longer accept situations in which Nigerians were dehumanised or subjected to degrading treatment.

“The government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised and put into very, very unacceptable situations,” he declared.

Shettima, however, made it clear that Nigeria was not seeking confrontation with South Africa, insisting that the Federal Government remained committed to resolving contentious issues through diplomacy, dialogue and constructive engagement.

The Vice President also urged South African authorities to exercise restraint in the enforcement of immigration laws, stressing that legitimate immigration enforcement must not translate into the violation of the rights, dignity or safety of Nigerians and other African nationals.

The Vice President subsequently departed Luanda for Nigeria after concluding his engagements at the AU extraordinary summit.

Meanwhile, the 21st African Union Extraordinary Summit concluded yesterday with a strong call for member states to translate peace and security commitments into measurable action and to finance the agenda themselves through expanded support for the AU Peace Fund.

According to the Luanda Declaration, read by AU chairperson Évariste Ndayishimiye, governments should move beyond declarations and deliver concrete results in conflict prevention and resolution.

The Luanda summit reaffirmed that sustainable peace must be supported by African resources while cooperation with international partners should respect sovereignty and African‑led solutions.

The African Peace Fund is tasked with mobilising resources for African-led peace and security efforts through a more predictable, member-funded financing.

Established in 1993, the AU Peace Fund is the Union’s principal financing instrument for peace operations, mediation and institutional capacity.

‎Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to explore innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms to strengthen the continent’s capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts and reduce dependence on external funding.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call at the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in Angola, convened on the theme, “Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.”
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The call came as the AU Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, warned that Africa’s peace and security environment was facing growing pressures from terrorism, violent extremism, internal crises and rising tensions between states.
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Youssouf said the challenges raised fundamental questions about whether the continent’s existing strategies, mechanisms and resources were adequate to address its worsening security situation.