The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has strongly condemned the renewed wave of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, describing the violence as barbaric, inhumane, and a serious threat to African unity and regional stability.
In a press statement issued on Friday and signed by its President, Comrade Babangida Onimisi Isah, the Council expressed concern over the persistent harassment, intimidation, destruction of property, and killings of Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa.
The NYCN lamented that decades after the end of apartheid, and despite Nigeria’s significant contributions to South Africa’s liberation struggle, Africans continue to suffer persecution on South African soil simply because of their nationality.
According to the Council, the attacks violate the principles of African unity, brotherhood, regional integration, and human dignity as enshrined in the African Union Charter and other international human rights instruments.
The youth body warned individuals and groups responsible for the attacks to immediately desist, stressing that no economic or social grievance can justify violence, looting, mob attacks, intimidation, or the killing of innocent people.
The Council urged the South African Government to take urgent and decisive steps by identifying, arresting, prosecuting, and punishing all perpetrators, noting that repeated condemnations without concrete action are no longer acceptable.
It also called on the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the United Nations (UN), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the wider international community to intensify diplomatic and humanitarian efforts aimed at preventing further loss of lives and property.
The NYCN further appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other relevant agencies, to engage South African authorities at the highest diplomatic level to ensure the safety and protection of Nigerians residing in the country.
The Council advocated the immediate evacuation of willing Nigerians if the security situation remains uncertain, stressing that government intervention should not be delayed until more lives are lost.
In addition, it called for the establishment of a comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration programme for returnees and victims of xenophobic attacks. Such support, it said, should include temporary accommodation, healthcare, psychosocial services, vocational training, business grants, employment opportunities, and access to youth empowerment initiatives under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The NYCN also urged Nigerians living in South Africa to remain vigilant, obey the laws of their host country, and take necessary precautions to safeguard themselves and their families. Those who feel unsafe were encouraged to take advantage of available evacuation arrangements.
While expressing confidence in Nigeria’s vast human and natural resources, the Council encouraged Nigerian youths to remain optimistic and contribute meaningfully to national development through entrepreneurship, agriculture, innovation, and skills acquisition.
Reaffirming its commitment to African solidarity, the Council declared that “an attack on one African is an attack on Africa,” insisting that the vision of a united, peaceful, and prosperous continent cannot be realised through xenophobia and violence.
It concluded by calling for justice, mutual respect, and stronger protection of human rights across Africa, emphasizing that “the blood of innocent Africans must not continue to flow while governments and institutions remain silent. The time for decisive action is now.”
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