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Nigeria To Bring 600 Citizens Home From South Africa

Nigeria will repatriate about 600 citizens from South Africa this week. This follows a wave of xenophobic violence which sparked sharp exchanges between the two countries, a Nigerian diplomat said on Monday, 9th September 2019.

 

“They are about 600 now that we are flying back”, Godwin Adamu, Nigerian Consul General in Johannesburg, told AFP. “A first flight will carry 320 Nigerians”, he said, adding: “We will have another one immediately after that.”

 

Last week, a series of deadly attacks on foreigners shook Johannesburg and surrounding areas. Many of these attacks were directed against Nigerian-owned businesses and properties.

 

Nigeria to evacuate citizens after xenophobic attacks in nigeria

 

The xenophobes killed at least 10 people in the violence and destroyed hundreds of shops. In addition to that, the police arrested more than 420 people.

 

An estimated 100,000 Nigerians live in South Africa, Adamu said.

 

Foreign workers in South Africa — the continent’s second-largest economy after Nigeria — are often victims of anti-immigrant sentiment in a nation where the unemployment rate is almost 33%.

 

nigeria to evacuate citizens from south africa

 

The violence prompted reprisal attacks against South African firms in Nigeria and the temporary closing of South Africa’s diplomatic missions in Lagos and Abuja.

 

Nigeria last week summoned the South African ambassador to condemn the violence. Also, Nigeria sent an envoy to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa.

 

The envoy returned to Nigeria over the weekend, the presidency said.

 

After a week of hardening the rhetoric against South Africa, Nigeria pledged to “work as brothers” with Pretoria on Thursday.

 

“Nigeria does not seek an escalation of the ongoing situation,” a senior aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, told reporters.

 

For more updates on this issue, stay on Plat4om:

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Plat4om ASKS: Nigerians React To Xenophobia In South Africa | Episode 06

Tokoni Akosubo

Tokoni is a content writer and screenwriter who is passionate about stories and social issues. When she's not tapping away at her keyboard, she's a committed foodie with an eye for style and interior decor.

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