Leaders Urge Calm After ‘Igbo King’ Row Sparks Violence in South Africa
The Nigerian government called the act illegal, while government officials insisted the gathering was a cultural event rather than a coronation. Despite those assurances, tensions stayed high after a memorandum was handed over.
Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, backed by the national government, has appealed for calm after violent unrest erupted in KuGompo over an alleged coronation of a Nigerian “Igbo king.”
Protesters clashed with police amid looting and arson, leaving multiple businesses in ruins—most of them owned by foreign nationals. The upheaval followed a viral video purporting to show the coronation, which local traditional leaders denounced as an affront to their authority.
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The Nigerian government called the act illegal, while government officials insisted the gathering was a cultural event rather than a coronation. Despite those assurances, tensions stayed high after a memorandum was handed over.