South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her upcoming APOP World Tour, days after her planned December 22 concert in Nigeria sparked widespread backlash over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.

A review of the updated tour schedule on the singer’s official website on Friday showed that the Lagos performance is no longer listed. The revised itinerary includes stops across Europe, North America and South Africa but excludes Nigeria.

Tyla had earlier unveiled the tour with Lagos as the only Nigerian destination before scheduled performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.

The announcement was met with strong reactions on social media, where many Nigerians called for a boycott of the concert in protest against the continued attacks on foreign nationals, particularly Nigerians, in South Africa.

While some argued that South African entertainers should not perform in Nigeria amid the ongoing xenophobic incidents, others maintained that artistes should not be held responsible for actions beyond their control.

The controversy intensified after social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to stop the concert if it went ahead.

In a series of posts and videos shared on his social media platforms, VDM said Nigeria should not provide a platform for South African entertainers while Nigerians were allegedly facing attacks and discrimination in South Africa. 

He also referenced the legal battle involving Nigerian beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina in South Africa as part of his argument against the concert.

However, African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the boycott campaign, arguing that Tyla should not be blamed for xenophobic attacks carried out by others.

According to Sowore, Nigerians should direct their grievances at those responsible for the violence rather than the singer, insisting that she should not be held accountable for crimes she did not commit.

The removal of Lagos from Tyla’s tour schedule comes amid growing diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa following fresh reports of xenophobic attacks, including the alleged killing of a Nigerian, Chika Ibe, in Cape Town, and the reported evacuation of hundreds of Nigerians from the country.