I left my wife and twins behind - why this Nigerian man fled South Africa

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Nigerian businessman Richard Itoro left South Africa in June after anti-migrant hostility escalated, fearing for his safety and leaving behind his South African wife, twin children and a car-dealership business in Johannesburg. He is among tens of thousands of foreigners who have recently departed the country, a trend that has deepened diplomatic strains between South Africa and several African states.

Itoro said he had lived in South Africa for more than 15 years, during which he built a home and family life, but that harassment and intimidation made staying untenable. He told the BBC that even though he believed he had legal permission to remain, the pressure on him and his wife increased as protests targeting migrants intensified. According to the report, he was unable to travel with his wife and children on the repatriation flight arranged through the Nigerian high commission.

The article also describes a similar case involving Ghanaian hairstylist Emmanuel Asamoah, who returned to Accra after a confrontation in Soweto was widely shared online. Both men say they were legally resident, highlighting the gap between anti-immigrant rhetoric and the experience of some migrants on the ground. South African officials have argued that action is aimed at undocumented foreigners, while critics in Nigeria and Ghana say the campaign has damaged continental solidarity and raised questions about how migration tensions are being handled.