The Chief Whip of the 9th Senate, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has condemned the attacks meted out on Nigerians living in South Africa, calling on all Nigerians to stand firm and retaliate rather than waiting on the South Africans to find the perpetrators of the violent acts.
Kalu, two-time governor of Abia State, in a statement issued by his media team on Tuesday said “The gruesome killings, looting, burning of properties belonging to Nigerians and attack of Nigerian Embassy in South Africa were ill-conceived, disheartening and wicked.
“How can any sensible person attack and burn a fellow human being just because he or she has a feeling to do so? Those mindless criminals who attacked and prevented law-abiding Nigerians from freely conducting their businesses must be made to pay for their crimes. Arresting them is not enough,” he decried.
Reports show that over 70 shops and businesses were destroyed, looted and burnt Monday night in the Malvern area of Johannesburg.
Kalu questioned the essence of the renewed attacks on Nigerians, contending that South Africans in Nigeria have always lived and conducted their businesses in peace.
According to the Senator, “if the South African government does not do more to protect the lives of Nigerians, there should be no reason to allow them to operate freely in Nigeria. All their enterprises deserve to be closed down, including MTN, DSTV, and Shop-rite, among others. In the spirit of brotherhood, we have supported them. Our doors have always been opened, but it is time we retaliated by shutting our doors too,” he said.
The Senate Chief Whip, while commending President Muhammadu Buhari for dispatching a special envoy to the South African government, urged the Federal Government to hasten its intervention and institute stiffer measures against South Africa over the endless xenophobic attacks.
He added that the Federal Government should no longer delay invoking the United Nations (UN) law on hate and all forms of xenophobic attacks against South Africa so as to make its government take the issue seriously.
