In a statement made available to journalists from Dar es Salam, Tanzania, Onoh dismissed Pretoria’s demand as an ‘illegal levy’, arguing that Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, could not be compelled to accept what he described as an internally incurred South African government expenditure.
His reaction followed reports that South Africa had written to Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia seeking reimbursement for expenses incurred in accommodating, transporting and repatriating tens of thousands of foreign nationals amid the country’s recent immigration crackdown and wave of anti-immigrant tensions.
South African authorities said the expenditure covered transportation, temporary repatriation centres, accommodation and staff overtime. The country’s Home Affairs Department described the costs as unforeseen and unavoidable.
But Onoh said Nigeria will not pay a single cent of the R292 million ($18.5 million) repatriation bill imposed by South Africa.
‘As an independent sovereign nation, and that Nigeria firmly rejects this illegal levy, which directly violates international law, the principles of continental solidarity, and the fundamental rights of African citizens,’ Onoh rejected.
He rather demanded for Xenophobic Property Indemnification by South Africa.
In a strong worded statement, Onoh said that Nigeria rejects the Illegal Bill Under International Law, adding that Nigeria formally returns South Africa’s invoice without consideration.
He stated that under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the protection and human rights of migrants are the binding responsibility of the host nation.
Onoh said that South Africa cannot weaponise its self-induced budgetary deficits to penalise sovereign nations for a ‘voluntary return’ crisis its own state institutions failed to contain.
He stated that the R292 million spent by Pretoria’s Home Affairs Department was an internal operational cost of South Africa, not a debt collection item for foreign embassies.
Onoh said that South Africa’s request completely ignored the severe, humongous financial losses due to Xenophobic looting,
uncompensated financial damages inflicted upon Nigerian investors and traders.
‘Due to the state’s failure to deter hostile anti-immigrant groups like Operation Dudula, African migrants have faced immense economic losses and South African government displays the what he termed ‘Xenophobic financial diplomatic audacity’ aimed at fracturing further diplomatic relations with other African nations including Nigeria.’
Onoh said that hundreds of foreign-owned small businesses, manufacturing equipment, personal vehicles, and real estate assets were systematically looted, vandalised, or entirely burned down.
He reminded the south African government that major commercial entities and skilled African professionals were forced to permanently abandon their homes, stock, and long-term investments under active threat of violence while their government turned a blind eye to the atrocities.
He said that Nigeria is launching broad diplomatic consultations with the governments of Malawi, Ethiopia, and affected victims. Following this comprehensive audit, and if pushed to the wall, Nigeria will forward a multi-billion rand counter-demand for financial compensation to the South African government to cover the totality of these looted private fortunes.
Onoh said Pretoria must stop using African migrants as political scapegoats to divert attention from its domestic security and economic failures. Resorting to aggressive deportation bills and targeting regional allies undermines the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework and isolates South Africa from the rest of the continent. Continuing down this hostile path will carry direct diplomatic and economic consequences for South Africa’s regional standing.
He warned pretoria that If South Africa chooses to reduce historical diplomacy to transactional accounting, Nigeria will gladly present its own historical invoice.
‘Nigeria spent over $61 billion which does not represent a single direct cash payment. Instead, it is a cumulative estimate spanning the years 1960 to 1994 and this massive financial, military, and diplomatic fortunes over decades to bankroll the anti-apartheid liberation struggle, providing safe havens and civil resources to South Africans when they needed them most. If a refund is what Pretoria seeks, South Africa must deduct this repatriation bill from its massive, outstanding historical indebtedness to Nigeria,’ Onoh said
In conclusion, Onoh said that Nigeria will explore all valid international and multilateral channels to ensure South Africa fully reconciles its broader historical obligations, protects remaining migrants, and pays the remaining balance of the multi-billion dollar liberation debt it owes to the Nigerian people if they so decide on following their current path of xenophobic diplomatic tactics.