Lawmakers condemn the killing of Nigerian by South African police.

Lawmaker, Rita Orji

The Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Rita Orji, representing the Ajeromi/Ifelodun constituency, has condemned the recent killing of Nigerians in South Africa, describing it as an epidemic.

The lawmaker called on the Nigerian Consul General to South Africa, Uche Ajulu-Okeke, to act fast and present a report to the federal government as promised.

“From tales of xenophobic attacks against foreigners, Nigerians included, to all kinds of violent crimes perpetuated against Nigerians in South Africa by both the police and citizens, we are, once again, saddened by another incident of a Nigerian dying in the custody of the police,” Orji said.

Eyewitness reported that the South African police arrested the deceased Nigerian, Timothy Chinedu, tied his hands and covered his face with a cellophane bag.

The Nigerian national was then allegedly suffocated to death by the police in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city.

The police however said Chinedu died after he ingested illegal drugs, contradicting the eyewitness reports.

“This is coming at the heels of another Nigerian, Christiana Onyeka, 34 years old, killed on 3 December, 2015, in her husband’s office near Johannesburg by yet to be identified gunmen,” Orji said.

This recent death of Chinedu has sparked off protests among Nigerians living in South Africa.

The bizarre circumstances surrounding his death have once again thrown up the recurring issue of the South African police brutality against Nigerian suspects in their custody, Orji said.

“The number of Nigerians being killed by South Africans or found dead while in police custody every now and then have increased drastically in recent times.

“These deaths are tragic, but the sad truth is that these sorts of incidents happen routinely and are likely not going to abate soon until the South African authorities employ stringent measures to tackle police brutality and checkmate the excesses of South Africans who always brazenly take the laws into their own hands,” Orji said.

“I am calling on the Nigeria`s Consul General to South Africa, Uche Ajulu-Okeke, to act fast on this incident and present a report to the federal government as he promised.”

Naij.com