The Nigerian community in South Africa says at least 105 Nigerians have been killed in the country over the past seven years, following the wave of xenophobic attacks against migrants.
This is contained in a statement signed by the community’s leaders, Smart Nwobi and Frank Onyekwelu of the Nigerian Union South Africa and the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa, respectively.
The statement dismissed a South African Broadcasting Corporation report attributed to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, which claimed that migrants were not being killed in South Africa.
“Denying or minimising the concerns raised by migrant communities risks discouraging victims and witnesses from reporting abuses and undermines efforts toward justice, reconciliation, and social cohesion,” the statement said.
It noted that, over the years, migrants, particularly Nigerians, had been victims of fatal xenophobic incidents, including alleged extrajudicial killings, mob attacks, vigilante violence, shootings, and unlawful use of force.
