Responding to a motion moved by Rose Oko, PDP, Cross River north, the Nigerian Senate Tuesday decided to intervene in the resurgence of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
The Senate resolved to:
“I. Condemn in strong terms the return of the xenophobic attacks and extra-judicial killings of Nigerians by the South African police, and South Africans.
“2. Invite the minister of foreign affairs to provide insight into government’s plans towards engaging the South African government to effectively end the xenophobic attacks that just resurfaced and the growing incidence of extra-judicial killings of Nigerians.
“3. Urge the FG to reconsider Nigeria’s diplomatic ties with South Africa if the ugly incidents of xenophobic attacks and killings of Nigerians in South Africa are not urgently halted by the South African government.
“4. Send a strong delegation of Nigerian legislators to the South African government to address the ugly trend.”
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs and diaspora, had warned Nigerians.the South African government of dire consequences if they continued to attack
The South African protesters have reportedly killed or maimed many black Africans in the latest round of xenophobia. The victims have also lost property items.
In Pretoria and Johannesburg, mainly, the young South Africans said foreigners were taking their jobs and encouraging prostitution and drug abuse.
Meanwhile, NAN reports that the South African authorities deported 97 Nigerians for committing various offences in the country. The deportees, 95 men and two women, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday night in a chartered aircraft from Johannesburg.
