Nigeria’s High Commissioner-Designate to South Africa, Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode, has condemned the alleged killing of a Nigerian national by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), describing the incident as disturbing and unacceptable.
In a post on his X account, Fani-Kayode said he watched a video allegedly showing a Nigerian being beaten to death by South African police officers inside his home.
“I just watched a secretly recorded video of a Nigerian national being beaten to death by members of the South African police force in his home and I am mortified. The video is online,” he wrote.
The former Minister of Aviation said he was deeply shaken after watching the footage, alleging that the victim was tortured and suffocated with a plastic bag during the incident.
Calls for an end to attacks on Nigerians
Fani-Kayode condemned what he described as the continued victimisation of Nigerians living in South Africa, saying acts of violence, racial profiling and extrajudicial killings against Nigerian citizens must end.
“The vilification, persecution, targeting, extrajudicial killing, racial stereotyping and murder of Nigerians in South Africa is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” he stated.
He added that Nigeria would no longer remain silent over attacks on its citizens abroad.
“Neither will we continue to be complicit in these crimes against our nationals by remaining silent in the face of them. That is the new order, and I made my position clear on this at our meeting with the South African Foreign Minister yesterday. The hate needs to stop,” he said.
Raises concern over killings since 2022
Fani-Kayode maintained that the lives of Nigerians should be protected and expressed concern over what he described as the absence of accountability for attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
According to him, no fewer than 90 Nigerians have allegedly been killed by what he described as Afrophobic groups, violent mobs, police officers and other perpetrators since 2022, with no convictions recorded.
He further claimed that six Nigerians had been killed in South Africa this year alone, including three allegedly killed by police officers.
The envoy-designate also referred to another recent incident in Cape Town, alleging that a Nigerian was tortured to death in his home by police, while another Nigerian was reportedly shot in the face with a rubber bullet after protesting the death of his friend.
Calls for stronger bilateral action
Despite his concerns, Fani-Kayode acknowledged recent diplomatic engagements between Nigeria and South Africa aimed at improving bilateral relations.
He said discussions with South African officials had produced an agreement to de-escalate tensions, strengthen cooperation and improve relations between both countries.
“If our relations are to stabilise with South Africa, this has to stop. We have made much progress and had a productive meeting with the South Africans yesterday, where we agreed to de-escalate the rhetoric and work closely together to stabilise the situation and build stronger bilateral ties,” he said.
Describing the dialogue as a positive step, Fani-Kayode stressed that concrete action would be required to address the safety of Nigerians living in South Africa.
“This is a step in the right direction and has brought us hope, but much more needs to be done. Action speaks louder than words,” he added.
