Evacuating of
Nigerian citizens in South Africa will begin as from Monday in response to the
growing spate of xenophobic attacks on foreigners that is sweeping across the
country.
Over the last week, there have
been murderous attacks on Africans
living in South Africa as armed gangs go about attacking them
in cities like Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg. With South Africa’s economy
in a downward spiral, local have taken their frustrations out on fellow
Africans and dozens of migrants have been murdered on the streets in cold
blood.
Officially, the Nigerian government has said that none of its citizens
have lost their lives yet as a result of the attacks. Earlier this week, the
Nigerian House of Representatives passed a vote calling on President Goodluck
Jonathan to withdraw the high commission to Pretoria in response to the crisis.
A high commission spokesman
said: “As from Monday 20th of April 2015, the process of evacuating
Nigerians from South Africa will begin as directed by the Federal Government of
Nigeria due to the ongoing xenophobic attacks on black foreign nationals in the
Republic of South Africa. To that effect an evacuation register will be open at
the High Commission in Pretoria for Nigerians intending to return to Nigeria
but cannot afford flight tickets.”
On Thursday, Nigerian lawmakers not
only asked President Jonathan to recall his envoy to Pretoria
but also vowed to invoke relevant business laws to frustrate South African concerns
operating in Nigeria such as retail outlets. Nigeria’s foreign minister Ambassador
Aminu Wali, said that the government was closely monitoring these attacks on
foreigners in South Africa and would take appropriate measures once lives were
at risk.
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