Xenophobia: Five Nigerians attacked in S/Africa again

The Nigerian Union in South Africa, on Tuesday, said five Nigerians had been attacked in Polokwane, Limpopo Province, in renewed xenophobic attacks.

The Secretary of the union in the province, Mr. Collin Mgbo, told the News Agency of Nigeria on the telephone from Polokwane that three of the five Nigerians attacked were in critical conditions in the hospital.

“I received a call that a Nigerian was attacked at Ivy Park in Polokwane on March 15. I got to the scene and saw that the Nigerian was almost dead, his house was looted and burnt,” he said.

Mgbo said another Nigerian was also attacked in the same neighbourhood on the same day and that when he got to the scene, the mob left the wounded man and descended on him.

“They left the wounded Nigerian and faced me. They destroyed my car and I managed to escape and run to a police station,” he said.

The secretary added that three other Nigerians, including the owner of a mechanic’s garage, were attacked at Moledji, near Polokwane.

“Their shops and houses were looted and destroyed. The local chapter of the union has reported these attacks to the South African police, the Nigerian mission and the national secretariat of our union.

“Our national secretariat is on top of the situation. As we speak, the three Nigerians in the hospital are in critical conditions and I do not know if they will survive because of the severity of the attack,” he said.

Mgbo urged the Federal Government to persuade its South African counterpart to ensure the safety of Nigerians in their country.

When contacted on phone, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olusola Enikanolaye, said the ministry had not been briefed about the incident.

He, however, promised to get back to NAN after an inquiry from the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa.

Similar, in February, properties worth millions of dollars belonging to Nigerians were destroyed.

The Federal Government later sent a delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffry Onyeama, and the Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), to South Africa for discussion on how to curtail the attacks.