The Chairman, Nigerian Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, says it is high time the South African Authorities disclosed the outcome of their investigations into the killings of Nigerians in the country.
Speaking on Friday during her appearance on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, she lamented over the murder of yet another Nigerian in South Africa, Joseph Ajouna on Thursday.
According to Mrs Dabiri-Erewa, the crime rate in the country is very high and as a result, there are about 20,000 murders every year and in “Cape town alone, there used to be about 50 deaths a day” until the Military was brought in to curb the menace.
She also noted that while there are cases of Nigerians killing fellow Nigerians in South Africa, all cases should be properly investigated and the perpetrators must be brought to book.
“This guy that was killed yesterday according to our Consul General, they are looking at a case of armed robbery which is very high in South Africa, very similar to what happened to Lucky Dube and the case of the other guy is also being investigated but what we are demanding as a nation is, when will the investigations end”?
“For the first time, South Africa actually charged eight policemen to court but we want to know the outcome of the investigations”.
“Mrs Elizabeth-Chukwu’s case has been upgraded to a very high profile case and we have a Brigadier-General actually being the one investigating the matter so you’re telling us that you’re not attacking us and that crime rate is high in your country, but let us know the result of these investigations,” she said.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa had earlier stated at a press briefing that the matter was reaching a tipping point and Nigerians are very angry, even as the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Daniel Akpan, had called for a clampdown on South African businesses in Nigeria.
She, however, reiterated on Friday that clamping down on South Africans or their businesses, was not a solution to the problem.
“It’s quite worrisome but the solution is not to close down their (South African) businesses here in Nigeria or go picketing and become violent”.
According to her, the first step would be to review the early warning signal that was put in place and also disclose the outcome of ongoing investigations.
She also noted that presidents of both countries would be meeting before the end of the year to discuss a decisive solution to the matter.
