No Nigerian killed in South Africa’s xenophobic attacks- Minister

No Nigerian died in the renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Khadijah Abba Ibrahim, told the Senate yesterday.
The minister based her statement on the information from the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa.

The minister said nobody was convicted as a result of previous attacks and no compensation was paid by the South African government.

The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, told the minister that Nigerians were interested in what the government was doing to protect them in South Africa.

“We want to hear from the ministry that the Acting High Commissioner has actually invited Nigerians to talk to them to give them solace because tomorrow, nobody knows what is going to happen again.

We are only telling them (Nigerians), to please hide to give a low profile. That means we have told them not to engage in their businesses again that they should be in hiding which is not good for Nigerians.

“To the committee we are not happy, we are highly disappointed and what we would expect is that your delegations, we have the mandate of the two Houses for us to go to South Africa. We will all go together see them and look at the memoranda of understanding or bilateral of what you are signing.

“It has to be give and take. If it is necessary Nigeria will not hesitate to put sanctions on South Africa.

 After about one hour of deliberation, the Senate yesterday resolved to dispatch a “powerful” parliamentary delegation to South Africa to express the displeasure of the Nigerian parliament over the attacks.

The Nation