In our editorial last week, we had emphasised that it is the primary responsibility of government to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens anywhere in the world. We also expressed the strong belief that until the Muhammadu Buhari administration demonstrates that the life of every of our citizen matters and that whoever kills a Nigerian must pay dearly for it, the killings would persist and the murderous South Africans would continue their heinous crime with impunity.
The message had barely been passed than another orgy of attacks erupted in same South Africa. No Nigerian was killed in the latest violence unleashed on immigrants in the Gauteng Province, but many of them had their shops looted or business premises burnt down. Many are holed up, scared to leave their homes out of fear of being killed.
The barbaric attacks and killings of black immigrants in South Africa is not a new development. Statistics showed that between 2016 and 2018, 127 Nigerians were murdered. And from January to August 2019, 13 more have been killed. In most cases, the culprits go scot-free.
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It is widely believed that the South Africans who mob fellow black Africans on the excuse that the immigrants deny them job opportunities, enjoy the tacit backing of the traditional and political leadership of the country. Since the latest incident occurred, a video recording of the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa himself denouncing the influx of foreigners, who set up businesses in townships and rural areas in his country and expressing the determination to put a stop to that has gone viral.
We note the measures taken by the Federal Government thus far, including summoning the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria to get a briefing on the situation, and expressing Nigeria’s displeasure over the treatment of her citizens and securing assurance of the safety of their lives and property.
In addition, the government has recalled Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa and boycotted the World Economic Forum on Africa hosted by South Africa.
We commend these measures and the plan to evacuate Nigerians, who are willing to return home from South Africa.
However, we are not under any illusion that the measures taken thus far would deter the Ramaphosa administration, which appears to be condoning a Black on Black violence. The best response by the South African administration yet to the widespread outrage against the latest attacks was to shut down its embassy in Lagos and Abuja and suspend consular services on the pretext of insecurity. The South African Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor also, while reacting to her Nigerian counterpart’s statement on paying compensation to Nigerians whose businesses were destroyed, said her country’s constitution had no provision for such. We wonder whether the same constitution made provision for the protection of foreigners engaged in businesses in that country.
We urge the Buhari administration to take the plight of Nigerians up with the International Court of Justice to get compensation for the affected citizens.
Furthermore, Nigeria should lead other countries affected by the black on black attacks in South Africa to get Afrophobia classified, as a crime against humanity and for any political leader that fails to stop extrajudicial attacks on migrants in his country to be made to face trial.
We are concerned about the sentiment aroused by the South African attacks and the protests taken advantage of by miscreants to loot malls and businesses owned by South Africans in some parts of the country.
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Had successive governments taken decisive measures against extrajudicial killings and destruction of businesses of Nigerians in South Africa long before now, the issue would not have degenerated to the dangerous extent it has assumed.
We totally condemn the actions of the miscreants and hope those caught looting would be made to face the wrath of the law.
Again, we urge Nigerians living abroad to be law-abiding. They should also collaborate with their host governments to devise measures to deter some criminally-minded citizens, who engage in unlawful activities to tarnish the image of Nigeria and expose their fellow citizens to hate and attacks by locals.
The federal and state governments must intensify effort to provide infrastructure and enabling environment for Nigerians to stay at home and contribute to the nation’s socio-economic development.
