Human Right Groups have occupied the entrances to telecommunications’ providers offices in Benin City, the Edo State capital, protesting the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The groups are demanding a stop to the killings of Nigerians and other foreigners and the looting of their businesses in the wake of the xenophobic attacks in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Locals are demanding that foreigners leave the country, claiming that their limited resources must not be shared.
The Human Right Group further appealed to the Nigerian government to commence the evacuation of Nigerians living in South Africa without further delay.
On Saturday, responding to requests for evacuation of Nigerians in South Africa, a Nigerian envoy in South Africa ruled out the possibility of immediate evacuation of citizens from the nation.
The Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Mr Martin Cobham, said it was a bit too early to consider the option of evacuation of Nigerians.
He said there was the need for calm, despite calls by Nigerian for the evacuation of Nigerians in South Africa.
Meanwhile, The Nigerian students had earlier staged a protest, threatening to embark on reprisal attacks on foreign nationals, including South Africans and their businesses in Nigeria, if the government from both countries do not call those responsible for the killings in South Africa.
The Under Secretary, African Affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Godwin Agama, assured the aggrieved students of the government’s prompt response to the situation, urging them not to take laws into their hands.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, on Monday, said he was hopeful that citizens affected by the xenophobic attacks in South Africa will be compensated.
Since the renewed attacks started last week, several Nigerians have lost their businesses and other belongings to fire set by locals on buildings where their businesses were housed.
Senator Obanikoro said that Nigerian High Commissioner, Martin Cobham and other delegations were taking stock of damages done to Nigerians to ensure that adequate compensation would be given to them.
“We have situations where some of our people lost their shops in this attack.
“We are taking stock of the damages done to them and we are going to be engaging the South African Government,” Senator Obanikoro said.
