South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her APOP World Tour, days after her planned December 22 concert in Nigeria sparked widespread backlash over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
A check of the singer’s official tour website on Friday showed that Lagos was no longer listed among the tour destinations.
The tour, which initially listed Lagos as its only Nigerian destination, was scheduled to conclude with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.
The announcement of the tour had listed Lagos as the only Nigerian destination before the tour was scheduled to conclude with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.
The announcement generated mixed reactions on social media, with many Nigerians calling for a boycott of the concert in protest against the reported xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.
While some insisted that South African entertainers should not be welcomed in Nigeria until the attacks ceased, others argued that musicians should not be blamed for political or social crises beyond their control.
The controversy intensified on Thursday after social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to prevent the concert from taking place.
In a post shared on his Facebook page, Otse declared that Tyla’s show “will not be happening in Nigeria,” accusing South Africans of remaining silent over attacks on other African nationals and urging solidarity against xenophobia.
However, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the boycott campaign, maintaining that Tyla should not be held responsible for the actions of individuals involved in xenophobic attacks.
Sowore urged Nigerians to channel their anger at those responsible for the violence rather than the singer, insisting that her Lagos concert should proceed.
“Nigerians should direct their anger at their real enemies… No one should hold a talented musician like @Tyllaaaaaaa vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia,” Sowore wrote on X, adding that “Tyla’s Lagos concert must go on.”
The removal of Lagos from the tour schedule comes amid heightened concerns over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa following reports of fresh xenophobic attacks and the death of Nigerian national Chika Ibe in Cape Town.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Tyla nor her management had explained why Lagos was removed from the tour itinerary.
