SOUTH AFRICA — The President of the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora, South Africa, Olusola Agbeniyi, on May 17, 2026, asked Nigeria’s Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, to desist from making claims regarding the killing of Nigerians in South Africa during recent protests.
Okay News reports that Olusola Agbeniyi challenged the accuracy of reported fatalities during an interview conducted on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 1:08 am WAT. Olusola Agbeniyi stated that no Nigerian nationals were killed during the recent anti-foreigner demonstrations and attributed the confusion to misinformation circulating on social media.
Adams Oshiomhole had previously urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to respond to developments in South Africa by invoking the principle of reciprocity in international relations. During a plenary session of the Senate, the former Edo State governor alleged that repeated killings of Nigerians in the country had occurred without legal accountability.
Olusola Agbeniyi said that while demonstrations occurred, they did not result in fatalities or the destruction of businesses owned by Nigerians. “Somebody like Oshiomhole should have contacted the mission to get first-hand information, especially on the aspect of the killing of Nigerians, because during this last protest, no Nigerian was killed,” Olusola Agbeniyi said.
The diaspora leader clarified that two people recently reported dead were not victims of the protests. “The two people that were killed were not cases related to the protest. No one has come out to claim that their relative was killed during the protest,” he said.
Olusola Agbeniyi added that many of those considering leaving the country were undocumented migrants without a stable means of livelihood. He noted that those with valid papers are not eager to leave South Africa.
