Buhari and Ramaphosa in Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja met behind closed door with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the presidential villa, Abuja. The killing of Nigerians dominated their talks as the South African leader promised to stem the rising tide of xenophobic murder of Nigerians in his country.

Though the meeting held behind closed door but Aso Rock sources said President took up the killing of Nigerians in South Africa with his visitor. Over 100 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa since last year with some of the killings allegedly not reported.

The South African media has not helped matters with its poor or zero coverage of the killings.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Buhari received the visiting South African leader at the fore court of the Aso Rock at about 3 p.m.

NAN gathered that the two presidents would discuss issues of mutual interest to both Nigeria and South Africa particularly security and economic matters.

The Presidency on July 8 raised alarm over the increasing killing of Nigerian citizens in South Africa for flimsy reasons.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had expressed displeasure over the killings.

Dabiri-Erewa, who was reacting to the latest killing of a Nigerian citizen, Mr Ozumba Tochukwu-Lawrence, in South Africa on July 6, said no fewer than 117 Nigerians were extra-judicially killed in South Africa between 2016 and 2018.

NAN also observed that MTN, a South African based telecoms company, is currently facing challenges from Nigeria’s labour union, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Ramaphosa, who is on official visit to Nigeria, would be a Special Guest at the ongoing 25th General Meeting of the African-Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Abuja.