By Ifeizu Joe
Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged the Nigerian Government to move beyond mere expressions of concern and take decisive action to ensure the safety of Nigerians living in South Africa.
In a statement issued on Saturday titled, “Weekend Musings: When a Ghanaian Life Sparks Diplomatic Outrage, But Nigerian Blood Flows in Silence: How Many More Must Die Before Nigeria Acts?” Ejiofor said Nigeria should vigorously pursue every legitimate diplomatic and legal avenue available. He urged the Federal Government to insist on credible investigations and prosecutions, demand concrete guarantees for the safety of Nigerians living in South Africa, and work with regional and continental institutions to ensure that xenophobic violence never becomes an accepted feature of African coexistence.
He stated that silence has never deterred violence, noting that weak responses have never inspired respect.
Ejiofor said nations are judged not merely by the size of their population or economy, but by the value they place on the lives of their citizens.
According to him, the time has come for the Federal Government of Nigeria to rise to its constitutional responsibility,not tomorrow, not after another funeral, but now.
He added that Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, must continue to demand accountability, justice, and a foreign policy that protects Nigerian lives with the same zeal that other responsible nations protect theirs.
“The life of every Nigerian is priceless. The blood of our citizens must never become cheaper than diplomatic courtesies,” he said.
Ejiofor further stated that one of the foremost constitutional obligations of every responsible government is the protection of the lives, dignity, and interests of its citizens, wherever they may be.
According to him, when those citizens are threatened beyond the nation’s borders, diplomacy must cease to be ceremonial and become purposeful, assertive, and result-oriented.
“A sovereign state owes its citizens more than sympathy; it owes them protection and justice,” he said.
He noted that the recent diplomatic confrontation between Ghana and South Africa, following the reported killing of Bashiru Isak, a Ghanaian national who was allegedly shot dead in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on June 30, 2026, offers a profound lesson in what responsive statecraft ought to look like.
According to Ejiofor, rather than issuing routine expressions of concern, the Government of Ghana unequivocally condemned the killing, describing it as part of the disturbing resurgence of xenophobic violence against African migrants in South Africa.
He said the Ghanaian Government demanded an immediate, transparent, and comprehensive investigation, the arrest and prosecution of those responsible, and stronger protection for Ghanaian nationals residing in South Africa.
According to him, Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria also lodged a formal diplomatic protest, while the matter has reportedly been escalated to the African Union Commission for continental attention.
He said that is how a nation demonstrates to the world that the life of every one of its citizens matters.
According to him, sadly, the same cannot be said with equal conviction for Nigeria.
Ejiofor lamented that, over the years, numerous Nigerians, including professionals, entrepreneurs, and other law-abiding citizens, have reportedly lost their lives in repeated waves of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
He argued that beyond official condemnations and the occasional evacuation of distressed citizens, there has been little to suggest a sustained, strategic, and robust diplomatic response capable of deterring future attacks.
“Airlifting victims back to an already distressed economy may provide temporary relief, but it does not deliver justice. It neither prosecutes murderers nor deters future killers. It merely transports grief from one country to another.
“The irony is painful. The so-called champions of African solidarity continue to hunt fellow Africans, while the economic architecture from which they daily benefit remains substantially influenced by interests far beyond the continent. One would have imagined that Africa’s greatest threat would be poverty, unemployment, and inequality—not Africans turning against Africans,” he said.
According to Ejiofor, as Nigerians await a firm and unmistakable response from their Government over the killings of Big Joe and many other compatriots whose lives have been violently cut short, Ghana has demonstrated that diplomatic protection is not an abstract constitutional ideal but a solemn national obligation.
