Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian govt demands compensation, security from South Africa

The Nigerian government has made two major demands from South Africa in the aftermath of xenophobic attacks in the country.

The businesses of many Nigerians in South Africa have been destroyed, looted or burnt in the past week since xenophobic attacks resumed in the country against foreign nationals.

Earlier Business Remarks reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bobby Moroe, over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Before the latest incident, many Nigerians have also been killed in suspected xenophobic attacks by South Africans.

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Speaking to journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, Geoffery Onyeama, said Nigeria had made two major demands from the South African government.

He said a special envoy sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to South Africa will focus on the two issues.

“It is just those two key issues, the compensation payment and what security mechanism be put in place to make sure that these kinds of attacks do not recur,” the minister said.

“We have registered our strong protest to the government of South Africa. But most importantly, we have put forward to the South African government what we think will make a big difference: one with regard to compensation with those who have suffered loss and most importantly, a security proposal that we believe will safeguard the security of Nigerians in the future.

On the security proposal, Onyeama explained that FG is planning to deploy some security agents in the Nigerian High Commission to work closely with the South African police force.

“We believe that would be a very important process to address and preempt this kind of attacks and possibly for them to also be embedded within the police force of South Africa.

So we will have some certain number of Nigeria security people trying to work with the South African police force.

“Albeit, we don’t believe that two wrongs make right, I think in terms of revenge on those kinds of attack is not what we are looking forward to.

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“The South African government has assured us that they are doing everything possible to address the situation, that they are equally exasperated by the whole event. We believe that with that goodwill, we may be able to work together to put in place these mechanisms that would make a difference”, Onyema added.