The President of the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora, South Africa, Dr Olusola Agbeniyi, has expressed shock expressed concern over what he described as the poor coverage of attacks against Nigerians by South African media.
His comments arise as a result of the latest killings of two Nigerians- Bishop Michael Fakunle and James Nwankwo, in separate incidents in South Africa.
Fakunle, an indigene of Iye in the Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was allegedly shot dead by unknown persons at his residence in Johannesburg on September 4, after reportedly receiving a series of threats.
Nwankwo, on the other hand, reportedly died on September 5 following what has been described as “gruesome interrogation techniques” allegedly used by officers of the South African Police Service
Agbeniyi said Nigerians often featured in South African media reports when they were accused of criminal activities, but that reports about Nigerians who were victims of violence were not given similar prominence.
“What gives me concern regarding the welfare matters about Nigerians in South Africa is that we hardly hear news about the killings of Nigerians in South Africa on the local media.
“The only news we hear is Nigerians selling drugs or Nigerians who are arrested for being members of Black Axe and so on. When something bad happens to Nigerians in South Africa, the story is not available or not reported by the South African media. This also calls for further investigation and intervention,” Adeniyi said.
On the reported September 30 ultimatum issued to African nationals, Agbeniyi urged the South African Government to take decisive action against groups promoting xenophobia, just as he also said immigration matters were the responsibility of the government and that no private group had the authority to enforce immigration laws.
“It is only the government that is constitutionally mandated to deal with immigration matters. The South African Government should be bold enough to clamp down on any individual involved in acts of xenophobia against immigrants.
“Such people should be arrested and prosecuted. No citizen has a right to perform the duty of law enforcement agents. It is unlawful. If the government is watching them doing this, then they encourage it,” he said.
Source: The Punch online
