The New Face of Insecurity in Africa: When Citizens and Investors Become Targets

For decades, insecurity in Africa has been measured in the number of terrorist attacks, armed robberies, kidnappings and insurgencies. Governments have invested heavily in military operations, intelligence gathering and border security to confront these threats.

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But a quieter, less visible form of insecurity is emerging—one that could prove just as damaging to Africa's future.

Today, the growing fear is no longer confined to conflict zones. It is increasingly felt by African citizens seeking opportunities beyond their home countries and by African investors committing billions of dollars across the continent.

The question confronting Africa is no longer simply whether its borders are secure.

It is whether Africans themselves are secure once they cross those borders.

Recent events in South Africa and Nigeria have brought that concern into sharper focus.

In South Africa, renewed attacks against foreign African nationals, including Nigerians, have once again exposed the dangers faced by migrants whose only offence is pursuing economic opportunities in another African country. Businesses have been vandalised, livelihoods destroyed and communities displaced, reviving long-standing concerns about xenophobia and the protection of foreign nationals.

Thousands of kilometres away in Abuja, another story is unfolding—not of mob violence, but of an investment caught in a bitter ownership dispute.

The River Park Estate controversy has become one of the most prominent cross-border investment disputes in West Africa. What began as a corporate disagreement has evolved into a legal, political and diplomatic battle involving Nigerian businessman Dr. Adeniran Ogunmuyiwa and Ghanaian investors led by Kojo Ansah Mensah, backed by the Jonah Capital Group founded by Sir Sam Jonah.

Recent video footage showing the demolition of sections of the estate's perimeter fence has heightened public attention and intensified debate over the future of the multi-billion-naira project.

Dr. Ogunmuyiwa maintains that he founded JonahCapital Nigeria Limited in 2006 and alleges that the Ghanaian investors sought to assume control of the company through the allocation of 99 million additional shares.

The Ghanaian investors reject the allegations and insist they are the lawful developers of the project through Mobus Properties Limited and JonahCapital.

The dispute has since extended beyond the courtroom.

It has drawn the attention of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Criminal charges previously filed by the Nigeria Police Force against some of the Ghanaian investors were later discontinued by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who described the prosecution as legally defective. Sir Sam Jonah has also reportedly petitioned Ghanaian authorities over concerns about the treatment of investments linked to the project.

Although the legal process is ongoing, the controversy raises broader questions that extend beyond the parties involved.

For African investors, perception often matters as much as legal outcomes.

Investment decisions are based not only on expected returns but also on confidence that disputes will be resolved fairly, property rights will be respected and commercial disagreements will not escalate into prolonged uncertainty.

Likewise, skilled professionals and entrepreneurs who relocate across African borders expect that their nationality will not become a source of vulnerability.

Whether the threat comes from xenophobic violence or uncertainty surrounding cross-border investments, the result is similar: confidence is weakened.

This comes at a critical moment for the continent.

Through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African governments have committed themselves to building the world's largest free trade area by participating countries. The success of that vision depends on more than reducing tariffs or simplifying customs procedures.

It requires trust.

Trust that a Nigerian entrepreneur can establish a business in Johannesburg without fear of targeted violence.

Trust that a Ghanaian investor can commit capital in Abuja knowing commercial disputes will be addressed through transparent legal institutions.

Trust that an African passport represents opportunity rather than risk.

Without that trust, regional integration becomes far more difficult to achieve.

The River Park dispute and recurring xenophobic attacks are fundamentally different in origin, and they should not be conflated. One concerns competing ownership claims over a commercial asset; the other involves criminal violence against foreign nationals.

Yet both underscore a common challenge.

Africa's economic integration depends not only on agreements signed by governments but also on the confidence of ordinary people and businesses willing to cross borders.

When workers fear for their safety and investors question the security of their assets, the continent's aspirations for greater intra-African trade and investment face significant headwinds.

Ultimately, the issue is larger than any single estate, company or court case.

It is about the kind of Africa the continent hopes to build.

An Africa where nationality does not determine access to justice.

An Africa where investments are protected by strong institutions rather than uncertainty.

An Africa where citizens can live, work and do business across borders without becoming targets because of where they come from.

That is the real test of African integration.

And until governments demonstrate that both foreign nationals and foreign investors can rely on the rule of law and equal protection, the new face of insecurity in Africa will remain not just armed conflict—but the erosion of trust itself.