Femi Falana, human rights lawyer,
has criticsed the federal government for allegedly not taking steps to end the
extrajudicial killing of Nigerians in South Africa.
In a statement on Sunday, the
lawyer said the government “has not gone beyond the regular condemnation” of
the killings while also accusing the South African government of inaction.
At least 121 Nigerians are
reported to have been killed in South Africa in the past 18 months, usually in
xenophobic attacks, the most recent being Chibuzo Nwankwo who was murdered last
week.
Falana said despite the killings,
governments of Nigeria and South Africa have “deliberately refused to accept
the jurisdictional competence of the African court on human and people’s rights
by making a declaration in line with article 34 (6) of the protocol for the
establishment of the court.”
“Thus, by refusing to make the
declaration, both countries have made it impossible for their nationals whose human rights have been violated by
state actors to seek legal redress in the court,” the statement read.
“On its own part, the government
of Nigeria has not gone beyond the regular condemnation of the brutal killings.
Up till now, the government has not deemed it fit to take bold diplomatic
measures to guarantee the security of the life and property of every Nigerian
citizen living in South Africa.
“However, the lackadaisical
attitude of the Nigerian government to the brutalisation of Nigerian immigrants
in South Africa is not surprising in view of the impotence of the State to curb
the incessant killing of innocent
citizens at home by terrorists, herders,
armed robbers, kidnappers and other bandits.”
The senior advocate of Nigeria
added that to stop the extrajudicial killings, government must “pressurise” the
South African government to bring all
culprits to book forthwith and compensate victims.
He urged the current
administration to stop “exposing Nigeria to ridicule” by making the declaration
to facilitate access to the African court without further delay.
“We are therefore compelled to
call on the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights to conduct an
enquiry into the killings of African immigrants in South Africa and make
appropriate recommendations to the African Union,” he said.
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