Former Minister of Aviation and politician, Femi Fani-Kayode, has described reports on the recent killings of two Nigerians in South Africa as “unacceptable”, warning of consequences if attacks were not addressed.

Bishop Michael Taiwo Fakunle and James Uchechukwu Nwankwo were reportedly murdered in separate incidents in Johannesburg.

Reacting to the incident, Fani-Kayode, in a statement on his X handle on Saturday, expressed concern about the worsening attacks despite several appeals to the South African government.

“I am mortified and deeply shocked to hear about the murder of Bishop Michael Taiwo Fakunle by unknown elements in Johannesburg on September 4th. After issuing a series of threats, his killers went to his home and shot him dead.

“I am equally shocked to hear about the murder of Mr. James Uchechukwu Nwankwo by officers of the South African Police Service again in Johannesburg on September 5th. He died as a consequence of what has been described as “gruesome interrogation techniques” by the South African police.

“Bishop Fakunle and Mr. Nwankwo are the 7th and 8th Nigerians to have been murdered in South Africa this year alone. No less than 4 amongst the 8 were murdered by South African police officers.

“Outside of that over 100 Nigerian nationals have been murdered in South Africa between 2022 and today and over 30 of them were killed by officers of the South African Police Service and South African Defence Force.

“What is most disturbing is the fact that in spite of our constant expressions of concern about this disturbing state of affairs not one person has been arrested, detained, prosecuted or brought to justice for ANY of these heinous crimes.

“This is unacceptable. We call on the South African Government to do far more to protect our nationals and to bring those that have killed or are planning to kill them to justice.

“No-one deserves to be targetted and murdered simply because they are Nigerian. The Nigerian community in South Africa are deeply disturbed by these developments and live in trepidation of what could happen next.

“So is the Nigerian Mission in South Africa. Equally disturbing is the fact that yet another deadline has been issued to African nationals, including Nigerians, to leave South Africa by September 30th.

“This deadline, like the last one, was issued by a number of brazenly racist, xenophobic and Afrophobic South African Non-Governmental Organisations who have openly threatened to target and harm our nationals if their illegal deadline is not complied with.”

He called on the South African Government to protect Nigerians and other Africans from the excesses of the perpetrators, and make them face the full wrath of the law.

The politician also threatened sanctions against the country if the killings do not cease.

“We also call on the South African Government to bring to justice those that take pleasure in traumatising, terrorising, torturing and killing our nationals.

“Whilst we seek to establish stronger and deeper ties with the South African Government one thing remains clear. If this vicious cycle of discrimination against and killing of our nationals do not stop there will be consequences.

“Simply put our patience is wearing thin. South Africans are not targetted and killed in Nigeria by our people or our security forces.

“The least the South African Government can do is to reciprocate this gesture, protect our nationals and address our legitimate concerns.

“May the souls of Bishop Taiwo Fakunle and Mr. James Uchechukwu Nwankwor rest in peace.”

His reaction followed the suspension of all official visits to South Africa by the National Assembly and directives to lawmakers, committees, officials and staff to boycott legislative activities hosted or organised by South African authorities over reported persistent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in the country.

The Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced a £50 refund for applicants who paid a £70 administrative fee for the ongoing passport intervention exercise.

The commission said the applicants would retain £20 as the standard administrative fee.

The announcement was contained in a notice published on the Nigeria High Commission’s website on Friday.

“This is to inform all passport intervention applicants that have paid £70 admin fee that £50 will be refunded to you, £20 being the standard admin fee,” the notice read.

The development comes after complaints over charges and difficulties experienced by Nigerians during the special passport intervention exercise in the UK.

On September 8, the Federal Government had denied introducing additional charges for the exercise, saying applicants were required to pay only the official passport fees, excluding applicable bank charges.

The Interior Ministry said neither it nor the Nigeria Immigration Service had introduced charges outside the official passport fees.


The NIS subsequently said on September 11 that no additional charges were required to participate in the intervention exercise.

The passport intervention exercise, which was initially scheduled to end on September 19, has been extended in London and Manchester to October 3 following a high turnout of applicants.

The NIS said 1,477 Nigerians were successfully processed and enrolled within the first four days of the exercise, with more than half of the passports already produced and dispatched.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has withdrawn his candidacy for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Tijani announced his decision in a statement posted on LinkedIn on Friday, saying he had chosen to remain focused on Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.

“After careful consideration, I have decided not to pursue the opportunity to contest for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union,” he said.

The minister described the position as an attractive opportunity both personally and for Nigeria, noting that his election would have offered the country the prospect of having a Nigerian serve as an elected official of the ITU for the first time in its 160-year history.

However, he said the more important contribution he could make at this time was to remain in Nigeria and concentrate on ongoing digital initiatives.

“The opportunity was undoubtedly attractive, both personally and for Nigeria, as it would have presented the historic prospect of a Nigerian serving as one of the ITU’s elected officials for the first time in its 160 year history. However, I believe the most consequential contribution I can make at this time is to remain focused on the critical work before us at home,” Tijani said.

He highlighted several projects being pursued by the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including Project BRIDGE, NUCAP, the development of two communications satellites, a national alphanumeric postcode system and the Nigeria Web Design Standards.

According to the minister, Project BRIDGE is expected to deploy 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre infrastructure across the country, while NUCAP will expand mobile connectivity to underserved and unserved communities through the deployment of thousands of telecommunications towers.

He also cited plans for two new communications satellites aimed at expanding coverage and strengthening Nigeria’s national resilience, as well as the development of a national alphanumeric postcode system to provide homes and businesses with precise digital addresses.

Another initiative he highlighted is the Nigeria Web Design Standards, which he said would promote greater consistency, accessibility and citizen-centred design across government digital services.

Tijani said the projects, alongside other initiatives receiving the President’s support, could have a lasting impact on Nigeria’s digital economy and contribute to the ITU’s broader objective of achieving universal, meaningful and inclusive connectivity.

“My focus will therefore remain on supporting President Tinubu’s transformative digital economy agenda and ensuring that these critical programmes deliver enduring value for the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

The International Telecommunication Union is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for issues relating to information and communication technologies.

Founded in Paris on May 17, 1865, as the International Telegraph Union, the organisation predates the United Nations and became a UN specialised agency in 1947. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and is currently headed by Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

The ITU works with governments, private-sector organisations and other stakeholders to promote global connectivity, coordinate international communications systems and support equitable access to technology.

Its work is organised across three main sectors: the Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), which coordinates the global use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits; the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), which develops international technical standards; and the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), which supports digital infrastructure, skills development and technology policy, particularly in developing countries.

The organisation has 194 Member States, alongside more than 1,000 companies, universities and other institutions involved in its work.

Its highest decision-making body is the Plenipotentiary Conference, which meets every four years to determine the ITU’s strategic direction and financial framework, while the ITU Council oversees the organisation between conferences.

Beyond connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure, the ITU is also involved in emerging technology and sustainability initiatives, including work on artificial intelligence, internet access for schools, digital inclusion and efforts to reduce electronic waste.