Xenophobia: Nigeria to take actions against ‘sickening’ attacks in South Africa

Nigeria Monday said it will take “definitive measures” as xenophobic attacks against Nigerian-owned businesses continue in South Africa.

Describing the attacks as sickening, Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama said South African police protection for Nigerian businesses has been “ineffective”.

“We will take definitive measures,” Onyeama said, describing the attacks as “sickening and depressing”.
The minister said Nigerians were attacked and their businesses looted by “criminals” whom South African police is struggling to contain.

Adetola Olubajo, the president of Nigeria Union South Africa, an association of Nigerian residents in the country said in a statement Monday that many foreign-owned businesses were destroyed by South Africans in escalating xenophobic rages.
“Nigerian-owned businesses were seriously affected,” Olubajo said. “A car sales business owned by a Nigerian were among the several businesses set ablaze over the night.”

“Although the Police said that many people had been arrested in connection with the unnecessary attacks, the looting and burning of foreign-owned businesses continued till Monday morning.”

Apart from the attacks on Nigerian businesses, many Nigerians have been killed in the country.

Reports say about 118 Nigerians have been killed in the country in recent years. Some were said to have been killed by the country’s policemen.