Forced to flee and leave everything behind — now Nigeria wants South Africa to pay up.

Here’s the story, as reported by cbinews.tv

So, the Nigerian government isn’t just bringing people home. They’re gearing up to ask South Africa for compensation after anti-immigrant protests forced Nigerians to ditch their businesses and properties.

Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, shared the update on Tuesday during Channels Television’s *The Morning Brief*. He said Nigerians being flown back actually chose to leave voluntarily before the latest round of protests kicked off. And now, FG is making a list — documenting every shop, business and property returnees had to abandon — so they’ve got receipts when they sit down with South African authorities.

What Ajayi actually said:

Talks are already happening. Returnees have been told to write down exactly what they’re leaving behind and be precise about it. Why? Because Nigeria plans to track down the exact locations of all these businesses and properties and put them on the table for “possible compensation”.

In his words:

“This repatriation will not end with just taking people to Nigeria. We are going to systematically follow up on the information given to us… We will not allow the labour people have suffered to build over the years to just go down the drain or be taken over by people.”

On the ‘undocumented’ claim:

Ajayi pushed back hard on the idea that most Nigerians in South Africa are undocumented. He argues most came in legally — the problem is Home Office delays.

“In the last three or four years there have been a deluge of applications at the South African Home Office which were not attended to due to systemic issues… So, because of this many, not only Nigerian nationals, were caught in this web of delay. You cannot rightly claim that these were undocumented because most of them came to the country legally,” he said.

Basically, people’s papers expired while stuck in renewal limbo at Home Affairs. Some have been waiting years.

What you should know:

As Nairametrics earlier reported, dozens of Nigerians have been sheltering at the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, fearing xenophobic attacks tied to the planned protests. News Central footage on Monday showed crowds at the embassy, unsure when evacuations would happen. Women and children were given priority to stay overnight inside the premises.

Source: cbinews.tv

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