In the midst of the chaotic xenophobic killings ravaging South Africa, the Federal Government of Nigeria has advised Nigerians resident in South Africa to remain indoors until the ugly trend abates.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of a meeting he attended at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister who reiterated that the directive was transmitted to Nigeria via Nigeria’s mission in Pretoria stated “With the discussions I have been having with Nigeria’s Head of Mission in Pretoria, no Nigerian has so far been affected.
“They informed me that they have called members of the Nigerian community and addressed them and told them to close their shops, stay at home and keep out of trouble and obey the laws of South Africa.
“They have also confirmed that the South African authorities have moved in to take actions that would forestall any further disturbance in that country.”
Wali explained that the Government would not hesitate to evacuate Nigerians from the country if the situation worsened.
He said, “If it (the situation) gets worse, it is the duty of our country to make sure our people are brought back and we are taking that duty seriously. We are not prepared to allow any of our nationals to be subjected to such inhuman treatment.
“We are not being reactionary because this is happening to all foreigners, not Nigerians alone. We are monitoring the situation and will now take action according to the situation that develops.”
Post Nigeria reported that 10 Nigerians were feared dead after angry South Africans launched a xenophobic attack on African migrants in Johannesburg on Friday April 10th.
According to reports, 5 Gabonese, 10 Somalis and 5 Congolese students were also killed with some of their bodies set ablaze during the attack.
The South Africans say their anger is that black migrants from other African countries are taking all the jobs available to young men in their country, leaving them, the citizens jobless, and slowly taking over their economy.
This diplomatic crisis has led to widespread of the Rainbow nation’s handling of the issue and certain countries have threatened dire consequences.
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