Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - The Nigerian community in South Africa has threatened to embark on a protest to demand justice for a Nigerian national, Emeka Uzor, who was reportedly shot dead during an anti-drug operation in Gauteng, a suburban region of Johannesburg.
Uzor was reportedly killed at about 3pm on February 8, 2026,
at a Carltex garage in Windsor East, Randburg, a suburb of Johannesburg.
In a statement published on its website and seen by PUNCH
Metro on Monday, ActionSA confirmed that the shooting occurred during its
anti-drug raid.
The statement read, “ActionSA can confirm that during an
anti-drug operation yesterday, joined by ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni Mayoral
Candidate, Cllr Xolani Khumalo, a shooting incident occurred in which a
Nigerian suspect, identified as being involved in drug trafficking, was shot.
“For too long, drug syndicates have terrorised our
communities through violence, intimidation and total disregard for the law.
ActionSA will continue to support every decisive and lawful measure to
dismantle this scourge and confront the violent resistance of criminals who
have grown comfortable believing they are untouchable. That era must and will
end.”
The group added that its 10-Point Action Plan to fix
Ekurhuleni empowered it to deploy all available resources to combat crime in
the area.
“From cleaning up the EMPD, to establishing specialised
units to dismantle drug syndicates and gangs in key hotspots, to deploying
detection and crime-mapping technology for rapid response, and to reskilling
and capacitating Community Policing Forums, ActionSA has a clear plan to
reverse Ekurhuleni’s descent into lawlessness,” the statement added.
However, the President of the Nigerian Union in South
Africa, Smart Nwobi, disputed claims that Uzor was a drug dealer and accused
those involved in the operation of acting unlawfully.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro on Monday, Nwobi
said the deceased ought to have been arrested if he was truly into drugs
instead of being killed.
He said, “What we are saying now is that the victim is not a
drug dealer. My question is this: do you shoot a drug dealer from a distance,
or do you arrest a drug dealer? Anytime a Nigerian is killed carelessly, the
narrative that is pushed is that maybe he is a fraudster or a drug dealer, so
that people will not ask questions. That is the usual statement, and we are not
going to take it easy this time.”
“Something similar happened last year, and nothing was done.
That is why they continue to take advantage of our people. There have been no
diplomatic reactions, no strong statements from the government.”
The union president further alleged that the same individual
involved in Uzor’s killing had previously been linked to the disappearance of
another Nigerian.
“It is the same person who shot Uzor who has made one of our
brothers disappear till today. He is not a police officer. He is a security
outfit personnel who electrocuted one of our brothers and took his body. Up
till now, we have not found him,” he alleged.
He said the Nigerian community had written to the newly
arrived Consul General and warned that protests would follow if no action was
taken.
In an official statement later issued on Monday the union
said the deceased, who hailed from Nkerefi in Nkanu East Local Government Area
of Enugu State, was shot multiple times while seated inside his parked vehicle.
The union alleged that Uzor was killed after being hit by
more than 12 bullets, adding that stray bullets from the shooting damaged
nearby vehicles and endangered other civilians at the scene.
“NUSA notes with grave concern that the incident occurred in
the presence of a media production team that included Mr Xolani Khumalo, a
former host of Sizok’thola on Moja Love and the ActionSA Ekurhuleni mayoral
candidate. The union categorically condemns the subsequent media statement
credited to Mr Khumalo, which appeared to justify this heinous act. Such
statements are careless, irresponsible, deeply inhumane, and demonstrate a
profound disregard for the sanctity of human life.
“This tragic killing bears disturbing similarities to the
unresolved case of Mr Silas Ani, another Nigerian national allegedly killed
under comparable circumstances, whose body was reportedly removed from the
crime scene by members of the same television crew. These incidents point to a
deeply troubling pattern of brutal violence against Nigerian nationals in South
Africa.”
The Nigerian Union South Africa called on the South African
government, particularly the Minister of Police and the National Commissioner
of the South African Police Service, to conduct a thorough, transparent and
impartial investigation into Uzor’s killing.
It also demanded that all those involved in the incident be
brought to justice and that authorities address what it described as recurring
violence against Nigerians living in the country.
The union further called for the accountability of Khumalo
and his associates over their actions and statements relating to the incident.
While expressing confidence in South Africa’s justice
system, the union warned that extrajudicial killings had no place in a
constitutional democracy.
Nwobi called on Nigerians in South Africa to remain calm and
law-abiding, assuring them that the union was working with relevant authorities
to ensure justice.
The union extended its condolences to the family and friends
of the deceased, praying for strength for them to bear the loss.
When contacted on Monday, the spokesperson for the Nigerians
in Diaspora Commission, Abdulrahman Balogun, said the commission had yet to
receive an official correspondence on the incident.
“I only read it online. No one has officially contacted us.
We will take action once we are officially informed,” he said.
Several high-profile cases involving Nigerians have sparked
diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa, with community leaders
accusing South African authorities and security operatives of profiling
Nigerians as criminals, especially drug traffickers and fraudsters
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