NIGERIANS in South Africa have complained about being on the receiving end of police brutality over the Christmas period resulting in the death of one of their members and the abduction of another member.
Ikechukwu Anyene, the president of Nigeria Union, South Africa, said that both incidents had been reported to the Nigerian mission in that country. He alleged that one Victor Nnadi, a native of Orlu in Imo, was suffocated to death on Thursday by the Metropolitan Police in Cape Town.
Mr. Anyene claimed that eyewitness saw the police handcuff the victim and suffocated him to death. He urged the federal government to persuade the South African government to put measures in place to stop the killing of Nigerians.
“When the people saw what happened, they raised an alarm and confronted the police. The union`s chapter in Cape Town is already on top of the situation and trying its best to facilitate the release of the detained brother of the deceased,” Mr. Anyene said.
He added that on December 24, one Austin Agunwa, a native of Umuawulu, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was abducted by unidentified persons at Rustenburg, North West Province. He said Nigerians in the province raised a search team which later found the victim`s car abandoned, after a crash near a bridge, although the vehicle had no blood stain.
“As we speak, we don’t know his whereabouts and nobody has claimed responsibility for his abduction. We have directed the union`s chapter in the area to report the incident to the police and open a case on the missing Nigerian,” Mr. Anyene added.
He said that the union`s national body would liaise with Nigeria’s high commission to visit Rustenburg over the incident. Mr. Anyene also advised people to be calm and remain law abiding as the union and the Nigerian mission are handling the situation.
