Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Panic: Nigerian players in S’Africa restrict movement over xenophobic attacks

Nigerian football players plying their trade in South Africa are cautiously restricting their movements, as the waves of bad news of xenophobic attack spreads like wide fire in the country.

The players, who are conversant with the way South Africans used to attack foreigners, especially Nigerians, are seriously thinking about moving out of South Africa, if the killing of their fellow countrymen persists in the country.

A Nigerian football agent, who did not want his name mentioned, told The Point that some of the players are still jittery, after watching the video clips of how Nigerians were killed by South Africans.

Meanwhile, all the clubs in the South African Football League, have beefed-up security to protect the lives of the foreigners in their teams. In the South African league, Nigeria has Felix Obada and goalkeeper Grag Etafia, who both feature for Moroka Swallows; Prince Olomu of Maritzbury United, James Okwusa of Orlando Pirates and Daniel Akpeyi of Chippa United.

The agent was however confident that nothing will happen to them, as the clubs also monitor their movement. Few weeks ago, news frittered in that over a 100 Nigerians had been killed in South Africa, within two years.

The Federal Government had asked the South African government to investigate and punish those involved in the killing of a Nigerian in Johannesburg in December last year. It also called on Pretoria to end extra-judicial killings, criminalisation of immigrants and xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike DabiriErewa, who visited the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, in Abuja on Tuesday, February 7, sought assurances that xenophobic attacks against Nigerians by South Africans would be stopped.

Her visit was sequel to the killing of a Nigerian, Tochukwu Nnadi, in December last year by South African police officers. Nnadi was choked to death for allegedly dealing in hard drug.

Dabiri-Erewa complained that over 116 Nigerians were killed within two years in South Africa, adding that 63 per cent of extrajudicial killings in South Africa were carried out by the police. She expressed sadness over the criminalisation of Nigerians by South Africans, noting that Nigeria and South Africa should rather be engaging in cooperation that could lead to social-economic development as the”‘two giants of Africa.”

The adviser said the country’s patience was being tried with the renewed attacks, even as she also called on the African Union, to prevail on the South African government, to “take decisive and definitive measures to protect Nigerian citizens and other Africans within that country’s borders.”

In a statement on Monday, February 20, the presidential aide decried the renewed xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa. Dabiri-Erewa said the Nigerian community in South Africa, led by Ikechukwu Anyene, has confirmed the attacks and looting of Nigerian-owned businesses in Pretoria West on Saturday.

She quoted Anyene as saying that the union had reported the incident to the Nigeria mission and South African police. She described the attacks as an unnecessary setback and advised Nigerians to be extra cautious.

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