The Nigerian government has demanded urgent diplomatic action following the murder of one of its citizens by the South African police in questionable circumstances.
The deceased, Victor Tochukwu Nnadi, according to the Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, was killed by the police in an extra-judicial manner, in what is seen as another form of xenophobic attack on Nigerians by the SA police and citizens of the country.
Nnadi was allegedly choked as he lay handcuffed on a main street on Thursday, December 29, 2016 with photos and film footage taken by witnesses showing the prone body with a swollen face and blood coming from his mouth.
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Nnadi's brother, who tried to prevent the arrest, was himself detained and has remained in detention.
Reacting to the barbaric murder of Nnadi, Dabiri-Erewa said in a statement:
"The barbaric behaviour of the perpetrators is not only unacceptable, but also calls for urgent attention by diplomatic authorities in Nigeria and South Africa.
While appealing to Nigerians to avoid crimes, the extra-judicial killing of Nigerians is unacceptable."
A group representing expatriates, the Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA), has also complained that there had been no examination to confirm he had died of heroin.
"The accused is innocent until proven guilty. It is not a crime to be a Nigerian. We tend to believe that Nigerian lives don't matter to them," NUSA spokesman, Emeka Ezinteje Collins told AFP.
The South African police said Nnadi resisted arrest on suspicion of drug dealing and died after swallowing a dose of heroin that he was trying to sell and has promised to carry out further investigations.
The death of Nnaji, according to the Nigerian Community in South Africa, brings to about 25 the number of Nigerians that were killed in that country in 2016.
Nigeria seeks sanctions over murder of citizen in South Africa
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