Abike Dabiri-Erewa

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora said 20 Nigerians were killed in South Africa in 2016 without justification.

The presidential aide who expressed Nigeria’s concern over spate of extra-judicial killings of Nigerians revealed this when she visited the South African Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Lulu Aaron- Mnguni on Tuesday.

She therefore appealed to authorities in that country to ensure that justice was done by speedily dispensing pending cases.

She especially demanded that justice must be done in the case of a Nigerian killed last December to serve as deterrent to others.

Tochukwu Nnadi, a 34-year-old business man was killed by South African police on Dec. 29, 2016.

She said “we are worried about the criminalisation of illegal migration, especially among ourselves as brothers in Africa.

“We are worried in particular about the criminalisation of Nigerian migrants in South Africa. Yes, some do commit crimes and deserve to be punished, but the extra-judicial killings worry us a lot.

“We also want to appeal to Nigerians wherever they are to obey the laws of the land. We are worried as well, about extra-judicial killings anywhere in the world.”

She said Nigeria has so far  lost 116 persons to such killings in South Africa while expressing hope that relationship between both countries remained strong and  better and  distractions avoided.

Aaron-Mnguni said the killings would be investigated and those involved would be punished.

He said “South Africa has high level of technology to know how a person dies.”

According to him, pathologists and the police will fish out the truth and those found guilty will be sentenced. (NAN)