Multiple people living in the region advised against wild camping in Nigeria because of previous incidents with tourists who wild camped and had issues. I'm hesitant to disclose what I heard, so instead I've found this online news article that seems to match the story I heard. Note: hotels are cheap outside of Lagos.
For Cameroon, I think the reason was the civil war. When I applied for my Cameroon visa in Benin, they asked which land border I would use because the Ekok border was closed at the time, which is where the trouble is.
For South Africa, there is increasing racial tension.
My experience has been that people can sometimes speak negatively about their neighbouring countries—in Europe and Africa—however, I repeatedly heard the same advice (don't wild camp) from multiple people well before arriving to Nigeria and South Africa.
I certainly do not want to discourage anyone from visiting these countries or Africa! There are all sorts of risks in any country. Probably the largest risks in Africa are the animals and other vehicles on the road. Friends hit animals and I was knocked off by a vehicle.
Nigeria was a country where I'd heard lots of good and bad things compared to other countries. I was slightly apprehensive. My experience in Nigeria was awesome! Very friendly people who like chatting. There are some areas to avoid, such as Boko Haram heartland in the North East, but Nigeria is a cool place.
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