Xenophobia: NANS Gives South Africans Ultimatum To Leave Nigeria

The fate of South African nationals living in Nigeria now hangs in the balance following the order issued to them by the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS to vacate the country on or before Monday next week.

The directive of NANS is in reaction to the recent xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals including Nigerians in South Africa.

According to the students’ body, it would start attacking businesses with South African interest in any part of Nigeria before next week Monday.

Azeez Adeyemi, National Public Relations Officer, PRO of NANS who led scores of Nigerian students to converge at Lalubu Road, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, said the directive was precipitated by the killing of Nigerians and looting of their properties in South Africa.

While condemning the failure of the South African government to stop the ugly situation, the NANS PRO warned that by Thursday all South African businesses in Ogun State and other parts of Nigeria would be shut down in protest over the ill-treatment of Nigerians by South Africans.

He said, “The anger of Nigerians especially our constituency, seems to have gotten to a point of real reaction against South Africans and their businesses in Nigeria.

“As students, we had embarked on mild struggles in the past against this inhuman act of the South Africans but the animals in human flesh have proven to us that, they can only stop if we up our actions against them”.

He added that as young people who own the country, they would not wait for President Muhammadu Buhari who has refused to take leadership and decisive position on the menace of the South Africans.

Adeyemi said that South Africans would not be attacked, but listed three directives.

He said, “Firstly, all South African businesses must close every kind of business transactions opened at any point with our people in the next 12 hours.

“Secondly, by Thursday morning, all South African businesses operating in Nigeria must shut down totally as our comrades have been strategically positioned across the 36 states of the federation.

“Thirdly, South Africans living in Nigeria must leave our country latest by Monday morning.”

Adeyemi said, the president, Danielson Akpan has summoned an Extraordinary NANS Board of Trustee/ Stakeholders emergency meeting on Friday to strategise on how to react properly to the xenophobic attacks.