TheCable

Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, says Nigerian shops in South Africa are being looted and burnt by mindless criminals with ineffective police protection.

In a tweet on Monday, the minister described the constant negative report about treatment of Nigerians in South Africa as “sickening.”

He said the federal government will take needed steps to curb the situation.

“Received sickening and depressing news of continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises in #SouthAfrica by mindless criminals with ineffective police protection. Enough is enough. We will take definitive measures,” he tweeted.

Received sickening and depressing news of continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises in #SouthAfrica by mindless criminals with ineffective police protection. Enough is enough. We will take definitive measures. @NigeriaGov @DigiCommsNG @GovernmentZA @DIRCO_ZA

— Geoffrey Onyeama (@GeoffreyOnyeama) September 2, 2019

Nigerians in South Africa have been victims of attacks, more of which are xenophobic.

In August, Obinna Ayanele, a Nigerian living in South Africa, was killed by suspected hoodlums.

Ayanele, a 46-year-old from Ideato north local government area of Imo state, was also attacked at his shop in Krugersdorp, Johannesburg.

Reacting to the attacks, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had shut down offices of MTN and DStv in Benue, Kaduna and Ogun states in protest of the killing of Nigerians in South Africa.

In 2018, the minister had said most violent conflicts and killings of Nigerians in South Africa were more of criminal activities than xenophobic attack.