President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, to monitor the measures the South African government would take to end the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians by further engaging the “appropriate authorities.”
The President also gave clear instructions that Nigerians willing to return home should be evacuated from South Africa immediately.
The President took the decisions when he received the report of the special envoy he sent last week to his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, to register Nigeria’s concerns over the attacks.
The Presidency had in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the special envoy, who is the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai-Abubakar, returned to Nigeria after the assignment and had submitted his report to the President.
It said Rufai-Ababukar was in Pretoria from Thursday to Saturday. While in Pretoria, the envoy conveyed the following to Ramaphosa, “The deep concern of President Buhari and Nigerians about intermittent violence against Nigerians and their property/business interests in South Africa.
“President Buhari stressed the need for South African government to take visible measures to stop violence against citizens of brotherly African nations.
The statement, which was signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, also gave details of Ramaphosa’s responses.
“President Buhari is worried that the recurring issue of xenophobia could negatively affect the image and standing of South Africa as one of the leading countries on the continent, if nothing is done to stop it.”