The Nigerian government has expressed helplessness over the continued killing of its compatriots in xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Findings show that one Nigerian is killed weekly as a result of xenophobic attacks in that country. The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, revealed this during a visit to the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Lulu Mngun, in Abuja. She said: “In the last two years, 116 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa and according to statistics, 63% of them were killed by the police.” However, the figure had since increased to 118, following the number of deaths recorded since February 2018.
Disturbed by the development, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, lamented that efforts at curbing the killings were not working. She specifically cited the Early Warning Signal, EWS, as one of the measures set up by Nigeria and South Africa in 2017 which had failed to address the problem. The EWS is a mechanism which guarantees and protects the interest of Nigerians when such early signals occur. It is also aimed at affording Nigerians living in South Africa, access to the agencies responsible for their safety. Lamenting the failure of the agreement in a statement, Dabiri-Erewa called for a new policy that would protect Nigerians living in South Africa.
However, the Consul-General of Nigeria Mission in South Africa, Mr. Godwin Adama, said that discussions were ongoing for a review of the policy, pointing out that the South African government had expressed its readiness. His words: “Discussions are ongoing and we are ready for a review. The South Africans are also ready. In a short while, everything will fall into place.”
