Nigeria's Ambassador-Designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), has strongly condemned the alleged torture and killing of a Nigerian national by members of the South African Police Service, describing the incident as horrifying and unacceptable.
Fresh outrage followed the circulation of a secretly recorded video purportedly showing a Nigerian being suffocated with a plastic bag and beaten inside his home by South African police officers.
Reacting to the footage, Fani-Kayode said he was deeply shaken after watching the video and listening to the victim's desperate screams.
He condemned what he described as the continued victimisation, racial profiling, persecution and alleged extrajudicial killings of Nigerians in South Africa, insisting that such acts can no longer be tolerated.
According to the Ambassador-Designate, Nigeria has made its position clear to the South African government, including during a recent meeting with South Africa's Foreign Minister, where both countries agreed to de-escalate tensions, strengthen bilateral relations and work together to address the growing concerns.
Fani-Kayode, however, maintained that diplomatic commitments must be backed by concrete action.
He alleged that since 2022, no fewer than 90 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa by Afrophobic groups, violent mobs, police officers and other assailants, yet no suspect has been successfully prosecuted.
He further claimed that six Nigerians have been killed in South Africa this year alone, including three allegedly killed by South African police officers.
According to him, in one of the few cases where an arrest was initially made, the suspect was later released and has since disappeared.
Fani-Kayode also cited another recent incident in Cape Town, where a Nigerian was allegedly tortured to death by police inside his home, while another Nigerian was reportedly shot in the face with a rubber bullet after protesting the killing of his friend.
He stressed that Nigeria places immense value on the lives of its citizens and warned that meaningful and lasting relations between Abuja and Pretoria would depend on an end to attacks against Nigerians and the prosecution of those responsible.
While expressing optimism over recent diplomatic engagements between both countries, Fani-Kayode insisted that promises alone would not be enough.
"Action speaks louder than words," he said, urging South African authorities to investigate the killings and ensure justice for the victims.
Abuja Network News
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