SA killings: We are glad justice done -Dabiri-Erewa

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Saturday expressed satisfaction over the justice meted out to the police officer that killed a Nigerian in South Africa.

In a statement by the Head of Media and Public Relations Unit of the Commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in Abuja, she said ”We are glad that justice has been done”.

”We have always stated that there has to be consequences for actions. We are glad that this case finally came to an end and South Africa has demonstrated the political will to deal with xenophobia,” she said.

The NIDCOM boss implored Nigerians in South Africa to adhere to President Muhammadu Buhari’s advice to be good ambassadors of Nigeria where ever they find themselves.

Dabiri-Erewa added that Nigeria and South Africa would work towards a united Africa with a view to bringing to book all perpetrators of violence irrespective of their nationality.

She commended the Nigerian Mission in Johannesburg for following through with the case and other cases involving Nigerians.

Speaking in the same vein, the Consul General of Nigeria in South Africa, Mr Godwin Adama, said that he was happy that the case came to an end on Friday with judgment pronounced on the guilty police officer.

Adama disclosed that the second case of 8 police men being tried for the murder of a Nigerian, Ibrahim Badmus, was adjourned until April 2020 for final ruling due to some technical issues.

He said the judgment of Friday has raised the spirit and morale of Nigerians in South Africa.

Our correspondent reports that the case started since 2018 when a Nigerian, Ebuka Okoli, who was killed by a South Africa police officer and was found guilty of all the four count charges.

There is no death sentence in South Africa laws, except life sentence or long sentence for murder.