South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the itinerary of her APOP World Tour following widespread backlash over her planned December 22 concert in Nigeria amid renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
A check of the singer’s official tour website on Friday confirmed that the Lagos concert had been dropped, while all other scheduled performances across Europe, North America and South Africa remain unchanged.
The planned Lagos show, initially announced as the only Nigerian stop on the tour, sparked intense debate on social media. Many Nigerians called for a boycott, arguing that South African entertainers should not perform in the country while Nigerians continue to face xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Others maintained that artists should not be held responsible for the actions of individuals or governments.
The controversy escalated after social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to stop the concert if it went ahead, citing solidarity with victims of xenophobic violence.
However, African Action Congress’ 2027 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the boycott campaign, insisting Tyla should not be blamed for the attacks and urging Nigerians to direct their grievances at political leaders instead.
The development comes amid heightened concerns over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa following reports of fresh xenophobic attacks and the killing of Nigerian national Chika Ibe in Cape Town.
Neither Tyla nor her management has explained the removal of the Lagos concert from the tour schedule, while the event promoters have yet to announce whether the show has been cancelled or postponed.