The Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has criticised the treatment of Nigerians recently evacuated from South Africa, describing their experience as “terrible, disappointing and painful.”
She made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, shortly after the arrival of 258 Nigerians who were repatriated from South Africa in the first batch of evacuation.
According to her, none of the returnees committed any offence, insisting that they were targeted simply because of their nationality and skin colour.
“Those 258 that came in, none of them committed any crime. The only crime they committed was the colour of their skin; they are black migrants in South Africa,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa stressed that individual offenders should be held accountable rather than blaming an entire community of migrants.
“If one person commits a crime, get that person and deal with that person. You cannot generalise, and their government is looking the other way, and that is the sad part,” she added.
She noted that diplomatic discussions between Nigeria and South Africa are ongoing, adding that further decisions would be made by top government authorities.
“What Nigeria will do in terms of bilateral relations, we will hear from the minister of foreign affairs and maybe even the president,” she said.
“But honestly, enough is enough; enough really has to be enough. Whatever will be done, we will hear from the higher authorities.”
She also confirmed that more Nigerians are expected to return in subsequent batches as evacuation efforts continue.
“Our diplomatic engagement is still going on. Diplomacy is always about having a conversation,” she said.
“The minister of foreign affairs is still engaging her counterparts, and I’m sure the two presidents will be talking more about this.
“We are glad this first batch is home, and we are going to have, I think, three to five batches.”
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The evacuees, who arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Wednesday, recounted experiences of discrimination, segregation and harsh treatment while in South Africa.
Some of them alleged they were treated unfairly and isolated from local communities, with reports of children being separated in some cases.
The incident has once again raised concerns over xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where foreign nationals have repeatedly been targeted in violent incidents over the years.
Nigeria has consistently condemned such attacks and continues to engage South African authorities through diplomatic channels, calling for stronger protection for its citizens abroad.