South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla has removed Lagos, Nigeria, from the schedule of her upcoming APop World Tour following intense online backlash over renewed reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
The tour dates were unveiled four days ago, with Lagos initially scheduled for December 22 alongside stops across Europe, North America and South Africa.
However, the announcement was met with widespread criticism on Nigerian social media, where many questioned the decision to host the singer amid reports of fresh xenophobic violence.
The reaction soon grew into boycott calls, with critics arguing that staging the concert at such a time would be insensitive given the longstanding tensions between Nigeria and South Africa.
On Friday, checks on Tyla’s official ticketing platform confirmed that Lagos had been removed from the itinerary.
The updated schedule now features only Europe, North America and South Africa, with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9, 2027.
The removal followed days of mounting criticism from activists and social media users, some of whom cited reports of Nigerians killed in South Africa.
Prominent activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise his “Ratel Movement” to stop the concert, describing the move as a show of solidarity against xenophobic attacks.
Similarly, media personality Do2dtun questioned the promoters behind the planned Lagos show, while activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore urged Nigerians to channel their anger towards political leaders rather than the artiste.
Neither Tyla nor her management has publicly commented on the removal of Lagos from the tour schedule. It also remains unclear whether the concert has been permanently cancelled or could be rescheduled at a later date.