Xenophobia: South Africa police arrest, arraign suspects in Nigerians’ attacks
The Nigerian Mission in South Africans says indigenes responsible for the violent attack on Nigerians in Durban and other areas have been apprehended and arraigned in South African Court on Monday, Jan. 22.
The Nigeria Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr Godwin Adama, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
The Consular officers from the Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg and the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria were in Durban to witness the court proceeding.
Two policemen were arraigned in court and the case was adjourned till Monday, Jan. 29 while the accused were refused bail and remanded in prison custody.
According to the Consul General, the late Okori was killed in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa on Friday.
“We condemn in strong terms the barbaric acts and call on the South African authorities to intervene and put an end to this ugly trend.
“We also call on Nigerians to continue to be law abiding, as we work towards obtaining justice for the family of the deceased,’’ he added
He stated that investigation was also going on to unravel the cause of the death of another Nigerian killed in Rustenburg, Northwest Province, South Africa, on January 20, 2018, in circumstances yet to be ascertained.
“While we await the outcome of the judicial proceedings, we want to, once again, appeal for calm and rectitude among our nationals in the affected areas,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has condemned the alleged killing of Mr Ebuka Okori, 27, a Nigerian from Anambra state by South Africans
Dabiri Erewa in a statement by her media aide, Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun decried the death of Okori in the hands of two members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Friday Jan.19. She stated that the late Okori was killed in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa on Friday.
The presidential aide called for the arrest and prosecution of the culprits by the South Africa authorities.
She, therefore, appealed to Nigerians living in the affected areas to remain calm and await the outcome of the judicial proceedings.