South African singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her upcoming APop world tour following online backlash from some Nigerians over renewed reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

The Grammy-winning artiste unveiled the dates for her world tour on Monday, with the initial itinerary including a Lagos concert scheduled for December 22, alongside stops across Europe, North America and South Africa.

However, the announcement sparked heated reactions on Nigerian social media, where several users questioned the decision to host the singer amid reports of fresh xenophobic violence targeting Nigerians in South Africa.

The controversy revived long-standing tensions between both countries, with some social media users calling for a boycott of the Lagos concert.

Others argued that entertainment should not be linked to diplomatic disputes and maintained that musicians should not be held responsible for political or societal conflicts.

A number of public figures also weighed in on the debate.

Media personality Do2dtun questioned the promoters behind the planned Lagos show, while activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore urged Nigerians to channel their frustrations toward political leaders rather than the artiste.

Neither Tyla nor her management publicly addressed the criticism.

However, checks by VANGUARD showed that Lagos has been removed from the list of tour venues on the official ticketing platform.

The previously announced December 22 show in Nigeria no longer appears among the available dates.

The updated schedule now lists only the remaining international stops, including performances across Europe, North America and two South African shows in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9. (Vanguard News)

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