The President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Dr Smart Nwobi, has contended that crime has no nationality, insisting that Nigerians found guilty of offences in South Africa should face justice, but not extrajudicial killings or abuse of their rights.
This is following remarks by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, who expressed concerns over the conduct of some Nigerians in South Africa, alleging that some nationals are involved in criminal activities, including drug peddling, while stressing the need for law enforcement to address such issues.
The President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Dr Smart Nwobi, has stressed that crime has no nationality, insisting that Nigerians found guilty of offences must face justice, but not extrajudicial killings or abuse of their rights.
“Indeed, crime has no nationality. In South Africa, there is a firm law regarding intolerance of crime. Inasmuch as the government of South Africa has some individuals from Nigeria that commit certain crimes, that should not be a rubber stamp or a brush to paint all Nigerians who are living in South Africa legally and conducting their businesses.
“The law should take its course. Those who are found wanting on the wrong side of the law should be brought to account, and it is the duty of law enforcement in any nation to bring those perpetrators to book. That does not give law enforcement officers the authority to brutalize anyone found on the wrong side of the law.
“I listened to the account of the minister. Indeed, there are some people who commit crimes; it is not only Nigerians—locals and people of other nations also commit crimes. However, in any country, it is the duty of law enforcement to enforce the laws. Those who are found wanting should be brought to account for their wrongdoing. Regardless of what has been alleged, it should not give the police the right to kill, maim, and extrajudicially kill people on allegations,” he stressed.
He added: “On the other aspect that certain cities have been taken over by Nigerians—Nigerians are business people. Some of them do not hijack properties; these properties have been bought from hard-earned money that they make in the country.”
Dr Nwobi also alleged that the killing of Ibeh Chika Simon, also known as Chika Ibe, was part of a wider pattern of alleged extrajudicial killings targeting Nigerians in South Africa. He said the union had documented several similar cases, particularly in Pretoria, where he claimed excessive force was used during police operations.
Nwobi called for proper investigations, insisting that allegations of criminal activity should not replace due process or justify the loss of lives.
“From the Nigerian community in Cape Town, what we gathered from our union on the ground is that it was a targeted raid. The police used extra force in order to extract information from these particular Nigerians. What we gathered from the police is that they were in search of illegal narcotics from people residing in this set of flats, and that Ebuka had high blood pressure.
“If you could see the visuals, you could see that this gentleman was hacked to death. We have proof, and we will be relying on an autopsy that indicates the cause of death clearly. From the visuals, when the paramedics were attending to the body of Chika, you could see blood gushing out of his nose while he was not breathing. From the accounts of those on the ground, it was an extrajudicial killing,” he alleged.
“The same pattern of killings of Nigerians also took place in Sunny Ridge, Pretoria. Once a Nigerian is extrajudicially killed and there is an allegation that they might be peddling drugs, the narrative changes. But that is not the issue. The issue here is that no drugs or illegal substances were found on this person. Even if that were the case, there are mechanisms to bring people to book. This is a pattern. We recorded most of the deaths this year—12 of them in Pretoria—using the same modus operandi. Usually, the police use extrajudicial means to extract information. From the reports we have within our confines, police will use plastics to choke these individuals to extract information, leading to their death,” he disclosed.
Speaking on behalf of Nigerians in South Africa, Dr Nwobi said the community has been engaging relevant authorities to demand justice and greater protection for Nigerians living in the country. He said there has been no successful prosecution in previous cases of alleged police brutality, calling for proper investigations into the death of Ibeh Chika Simon and measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“It has been an established pattern, and the ugly situation is that there has not been a successful prosecution for all these deaths at the hands of the police. We have recounted a lot of police brutality.
“The Nigerians in South Africa, especially where this incident occurred, have written to the Nigerian Mission and the Consulate General demanding that the South African government be more proactive in their protection. Whatever the situation is does not give police officers the right to take the life of any human being.
“We are following this up so that it does not reoccur in the future. We want proper investigations and reports in this matter,” he demanded.
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