CDHR President, Malachy Ugwummadu, unequivocally condemns the recent deaths of two Nigerian nationals in the hands of South Africa Police after the
victims were tortured and subjected to inhumane and degrading treatments.
He noted that on August 30, Kingsley Ikeri, 27 years old Nigerian Businessman, based in South Africa,
was said to have been tortured to death by the police at Vryheid town in
Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa.
One week after the incident, another
Nigerian, Clement Kalu, 35, was similarly tortured to death at Springs Town
near Johannesburg.
He said: “The killing of these Nigerians and several others before now is
barbaric and condemnable. We are particularly concerned that no fewer than 116
Nigerians are believed to have been killed in South Africa unjustly and with
impunity within the last two years out of which 70% of the killings were
perpetrated by men of the South African Police. It is indeed unfortunate that
avoidable deaths of Nigerians as a result of xenophobic attacks have continued
in South Africa without any reasonable reprieve and check.”
Ugwummadu stressed that
the South Africa government has failed to guarantee the protection of lives and
property of Nigerians living in South Africa. He said that it was even more
appalling that the law enforcement agents are major culprits in the extra-judicial killings in which the Nigerian victims were never given the opportunity to
defend themselves as required by law.
Ugwummadu said: “CDHR
therefore demands official apologies from the government of South Africa for
the wanton killings of innocent Nigerians who at the time of their deaths bore
the burden of mere allegations most of which could be in furtherance of the
xenophobic attacks. The routine, verbal and pedestrian reactions of Hon. Abike
Arewa, Special Assistant to President Buhari on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs
without more are no longer enough to stem this wanton killing of Nigerians in
circumstances that can be stopped.”
According to Ugwummadu,
very little had been heard from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, just as the High Commissioner in South Africa appears
completely helpless.
“The Nigerian Government must go beyond the unverifiable posturing of a
“big brother” and assert itself through a practical and dynamic diplomacy and
foreign policy in a way that African countries respect its nationals. Nigeria
has both the economic and political influence to deploy in protecting its
nationals across the globe particularly in Africa. It is bad enough that
Nigerians citizens are driven abroad in search of greener pastures on account
of failure of leadership. It is worse that they are now killed casually and
abandoned to mock the Nigeria state without adequate responses from the Federal
Government,” said Ugwummadu.
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