Nigeria’s Consul-General in Johannesburg, Ambassador Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, has called on South African authorities to investigate the deaths of Kenechukwu Christopher Igwemmadu, Olaniyi Olaleye Olatunde and Christian Hilary Nnaemeka, three Nigerian nationals who died in separate incidents across South Africa between September 18 and 21.

The Nigerian Consulate-General’s appeal comes amid renewed anxiety within the Nigerian community, with the circumstances surrounding each death raising different questions about policing, gun violence and the use of force.

Also read: FG targets 5m Nigerians for poverty reduction through skills

The Consulate said Igwemmadu died on September 18 in Bloemfontein after allegedly jumping from a building while trying to escape what the mission described as police harassment and brutality at Kenlin Court on Douglas Street in the central business district.

The allegation has not been independently established. The Consulate has called for the circumstances surrounding the death to be thoroughly investigated so that responsibility, if any, can be determined through due process.

Two days later, Olatunde, a Nigerian security guard, was fatally wounded in a shooting at Spanata Bar and Grills Night Club in Mamelodi East, Pretoria.

The Consulate said an argument began after Olatunde attempted to stop a South African customer from leaving the premises with a cup belonging to the club.

According to the mission, the disagreement escalated after the customer allegedly drew a firearm and shot Olatunde in the lower body.

Olatunde was taken to Mamelodi Hospital but died from his injuries on September 21, according to the Consulate.

Nigerian community reporting has also identified the victim as a security worker and said the shooting followed a dispute at the establishment.

The Consulate further alleged that the suspected gunman returned to the venue and threatened witnesses. That claim has yet to be independently confirmed in publicly available reporting.

The third death has generated particular concern because it allegedly involved Xolani Khumalo, a South African television personality and political figure, and members of his Sizok’thola team.

The Consulate said Nnaemeka died on September 21 following an encounter with the team in Primrose, Ekurhuleni.

The mission alleged that Nnaemeka was assaulted and tortured during the encounter and later collapsed after attempting to escape.

Nigerian Union in South Africa separately called for an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into Nnaemeka’s death.

The union identified Nnaemeka as a 34-year-old from Enugu-Ezike in Enugu State, a husband and father of a three-year-old son.

NUSA also questioned whether the encounter formed part of an authorised operation and called for everyone connected with the incident to be identified and investigated.

“We therefore demand an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Christian Hilary Nnaemeka’s death,” the union said.

The Consulate has stressed that allegations of criminal conduct cannot justify taking the law into private hands.

“Nigerian and all lives matter,” Okey-Uche said, according to the Consulate’s statement, while urging that allegations be handled through established legal processes and that suspects be presumed innocent until properly dealt with by a court.

The deaths come against a wider backdrop of concern among Nigerians in South Africa.

Earlier in September, the Nigerian Consulate issued a safety advisory after the deaths of eight women in and around Ekurhuleni.

The mission said South African authorities were investigating possible connections between some of those cases but cautioned that the South African Police Service had not established that a single perpetrator was responsible or confirmed reports of a serial killer.

The latest cases also revive questions surrounding the February death of Emeka Clement Uzor in Windsor East, Randburg.

Uzor, 45, was fatally shot on February 8 during an incident involving a production team associated with Khumalo’s Sizok’thola programme.

South African police said at the time that a production company was filming in the area and that shots were allegedly fired by members of the production team’s security detail.

The Nigerian Consulate subsequently condemned Uzor’s killing and urged Nigerians to pursue justice through lawful channels. Nigerian community organisations also called for a full investigation.

The earlier case is significant because it forms part of the Consulate’s concern about the circumstances surrounding the latest death involving Khumalo’s team.

The available public reporting, however, does not establish criminal liability against Khumalo or any individual connected with either case.

For Nnaemeka’s family, the human cost is immediate. NUSA said his three-year-old son has been left without his father, adding a deeply personal dimension to a case now drawing diplomatic attention.

For Olatunde’s family and colleagues, the circumstances described by the Nigerian mission point to a fatal escalation of what began as an apparently ordinary dispute at a workplace.

And in Bloemfontein, the circumstances of Igwemmadu’s death remain a matter for investigators to establish, particularly the Consulate’s allegation that police conduct preceded the fatal fall.

Nigeria’s Consulate-General has urged South African authorities to investigate the three cases and prosecute anyone found responsible.

The mission has also appealed to Nigerians in South Africa to remain calm, law-abiding and security-conscious.

The Nigerian Consulate’s demand for justice therefore extends beyond the immediate cases.

It reflects a broader appeal for accountability, lawful investigations and protection for Nigerians living and working in South Africa, while recognising that the facts of each death must ultimately be established by competent authorities.

As investigations develop, the central questions remain precise: what happened to each of the three men, who was responsible for the circumstances that led to their deaths, and whether the available evidence will result in charges and prosecution.

Also read: FG targets 5m Nigerians for poverty reduction through skills

Those answers will matter not only to the families mourning three men but also to a Nigerian community watching closely for evidence that its concerns about safety and equal protection under the law are being taken seriously.