By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The House of Representatives has asked the federal government to immediately summon the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria to account for the recent killings of Nigerians and explain Pretoria’s failure to guarantee the safety and protection of Nigerian citizens and other African nationals living in South Africa.
The resolution, sequel to a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Representative Yusuf Gagdi, was unanimously adopted by lawmakers.
The House condemned recurring xenophobic attacks, extrajudicial killings and systematic persecution of Nigerians in South Africa despite existing diplomatic engagements between both countries.
Lawmakers stressed that Nigeria must take decisive diplomatic steps to safeguard the lives and dignity of its citizens abroad, insisting that the South African government must give an official position on measures being taken to guarantee the safety and protection of Nigerians and other African nationals residing in that country.
The House referred the resolution to its Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.
