Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has decried with serious concern the worsening Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, with Nigerians being major victims.
In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, Lawan said that Nigeria has had enough of its citizens being targets of the attacks in the Southern African nation.
He said that Nigeria would no longer tolerate hate crimes in any form against its citizens, where doing legitimate businesses in that country.
“Xenophobic violence is most condemnable anywhere; more so in South Africa, a country which citizens benefitted from the unwavered support and solidarity of Africans and freedom lovers across the world in its historic struggle against apartheid.
“More disturbing, however, is that these attacks indicate the neglect of educating the younger generations on the sacrifices that Africans proudly made towards expunging the scourges of colonialism and apartheid from their continent.
“The enormous contributions of Nigeria to this historic struggle is underscored by its recognition as a frontline state in prolonged confrontation against powerful racist regime that held generations of Southern Africans in bondage and subhuman conditions.
“This recognition is in spite of the fact that Nigeria does not share geographical borders with the subregion and was far removed from the direct consequences of apartheid,” he said.
Lawan said that the liberation of South Africa was rightly celebrated across the continent and the black world as the final emancipation of Africans from colonialism and apartheid.
He said that it was an unacceptable irony that some South Africans would after now, choose other Africans in their country as the targets of mindless violent attacks over frustrations for which the innocent victims had no control.
The Senate President said that he had on July 15, met with the South African High Commissioner, Bobby Moroe, in Abuja over the same issue.
”At the meeting, I had said that the South African government must, as a matter of urgency, do whatever it takes to protect the lives and property of Nigerians living there”.
Also, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, described the latest attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa by its citizens as callous, cowardly, inhumane and a dastard act that should be condemned by all.
Omo-Agege, who said he was personally appalled by the glaring debasement of humanity with the gross bestiality displayed in some video clips of the attacks being circulated on the social media, said he is pleased that the Federal Government is taking a tougher stance on what seems to have become a routine by some elements in South Africa who randomly inflict pain, anguish and death on foreigners, especially Nigerians.
He noted further that the “Senate is without question in support of necessary steps by President Muhammadu Buhari to save Nigerians in South Africa and resolve the totally unacceptable pattern of extrajudicial killings of our innocent citizens”.
He said as a believer in the application of the law in tackling any act of criminality, he was never against the security forces in the country deploying the instrumentality of the law to track and punish offenders.
However, he emphasized that irrespective of simplistic official explanations now being advanced by South Africa, what happened on Monday was a clear case of demeaning xenophobia and a display of hatred for a particular set of people for no justifiable reason.
“I’m still shocked by the level of violence on display by a set of people presumed to be our brothers not just because we are from the same continent but also because we have a shared history.
“Nigeria, it must be said, played crucial role and made great sacrifice towards the emancipation of South Africa from the firm grip of apartheid. I wonder how things got this bad that law-abiding Nigerians living in that country have suddenly become prime targets for killings, arsons and destruction. No doubt, Monday’s fresh attacks cannot be allowed to go the way of others since it appeared past efforts at interrogating the horrific visitation of violence on Nigerians yielded no positive result in curbing the mindless horror.
“The strong message that should be sent to the South African government and its people is that the life of every Nigerian matters and Nigeria would no longer tolerate the violence being visited on our people under whatever guise or excuse. Those behind the latest killings must be fetched out and punished while due compensation should be paid to the families of the victims.
“While I commiserate with all those who lost loved ones and valuable properties during the violence, I urge the Federal Government to seize this moment and stand up, as it has always done in the past, for its citizens’ rights regardless of wherever they may be in the world. This abuse must stop and it must stop now!” Omo-Agege stated.
