Nigeria’s Acting Ambassador to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, has expressed concern over the tendency to wrongly associate Nigerians with criminal activities in the country.
In an interview with PUNCH on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Ajayi said there is a widespread perception in South Africa that any individual involved in a crime is often assumed to be Nigerian, even when that is not the case. He noted that such generalisations are misleading and contribute to negative stereotyping of Nigerians abroad.
He further urged Nigerian citizens living in South Africa to uphold lawful conduct and engage only in legitimate activities, stressing that their behaviour plays a key role in shaping the country’s international image and reducing unfounded accusations.
In his words,
“One thing in South Africa is that if anybody commits a crime today, there is a high probability that the person will be labelled Nigerian, even if that person is not Nigerian.”….Read_More…