Reports from The Nigeria Union in South Africa say a Nigerian businessman was killed by private security guards in Limpopo, South Africa, on Tuesday night.
The 35-year-old businessman, identified as Ikejiaku Chinedu, was allegedly tortured and beaten to death.
“The autopsy result we have showed that there were bruises all over his body, showing that he was beaten to death or suffocated,” Mr. Collins Mgbo, secretary of The Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Mgbo also confirmed that the union has already reported the matter to the South African police who assured them that thorough investigations into the alleged murder will be carried out.
They have also reported the incident to the union’s national secretariat in Pretoria, South Africa.
Confirming the report, the union’s President Mr. Ikechukwu Anyene called on the South African police to carry out the necessary investigations and ensure the culprits are brought to justice.
He also promised to send the report to the Nigerian Consulate for further action.
Extra-Judicial Killings of Nigerians in South Africa
Since January there have been numerous reports of xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa, with Nigerians seeming to make up the majority of victims.
At least 15 Nigerians have allegedly been killed in South Africa since the beginning of the year. These killings have been committed by either the South African police or civilians, according to Vanguard.
Condemning the extra-judicial killings of Nigerians in South Africa sometime in January, the Chairperson of House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Rita Orji termed it as an epidemic that is getting worse by the day.
“The number of Nigerians being killed by South Africans or found dead while in police custody every now and then has increased drastically in the 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,” she said in a statement.
However, the South African police have continuously denied being involved in extra-judicial killings of Nigerians. They allege that some of the victims died after ingesting drugs.
