The Federal Government has assured Nigerians still residing in South Africa of their safety, even as fresh concerns over xenophobic tensions and renewed anti-immigrant protests continue to trigger calls for stronger diplomatic action.
This comes after Nigerians reportedly stormed the country’s embassy in Pretoria as xenophobic tensions escalated while another batch of 269 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday aboard an Air Peace flight from Johannesburg at 10.48 am, marking the second government-coordinated evacuation exercise in recent weeks.
Nigerian businessman popularly known as ‘Big Joe’ was reportedly shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on Sunday, outside his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga Province, though local police have not announced cause of his death.
Thousands of locals marched in major cities across South Africa on Tuesday, calling for the removal of undocumented migrants from the country.
Police officers, supported by private security personnel, were deployed amid concerns that the demonstrations could turn violent. Anti-migrant groups had set Tuesday as a deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave.
