Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, on Monday held a closed-door meeting with South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation over the recent wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals.
Naijaonpoint reports that the South African minister led a special presidential delegation to Nigeria for discussions on the attacks and other concerns affecting relations between the two countries.
At the opening of the meeting, the South African delegation defended its government’s right to enforce immigration laws, maintaining that authorities had a responsibility to address criminal activities involving both citizens and foreigners.
The delegation cited drug trafficking and other alleged offences involving some immigrants as among the concerns being addressed by South African authorities.
Responding, the Federal Government strongly condemned attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals, describing the violence as unacceptable.
Enikanolaiye expressed concern that the incidents appeared to represent a recurring pattern of what he described as Afrophobic violence directed at Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa.
The minister maintained that immigration enforcement and efforts to combat criminality should not result in attacks on law-abiding foreign nationals.
He stressed that acts of violence against Nigerians and other Africans could not be justified under any circumstances.
Enikanolaiye also reminded the visiting delegation of Nigeria’s historical role in supporting South Africa during the struggle against apartheid.
He argued that the long-standing relationship between both countries made repeated attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals particularly concerning.
The minister called for frank engagement between Abuja and Pretoria to address the underlying issues and prevent further violence.
Enikanolaiye disclosed that about 98 Nigerians had lost their lives in previous xenophobic-related attacks in South Africa.
He said the figure underscored the seriousness of the situation and the need for both governments to find lasting solutions to the recurring violence.
The Nigerian government maintained that while South Africa has the sovereign authority to enforce its immigration and criminal laws, such enforcement must not become a justification for violence against Nigerians and other African nationals.
