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Killing of Nigerians in South Africa,the Urgent Need for a ew Diplomatic Doctrine

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National Coordinator HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko

By Ignatius Okorocha,Abuja

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expresses deep concern and strong condemnation over the recurring killings, harassment, and reported abuse of Nigerian nationals in South Africa, following fresh incidents that led to the deaths of Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew under circumstances involving South African security operatives.

These latest tragedies are not isolated events. They form part of a disturbing and persistent pattern of xenophobic violence, discriminatory treatment, and alleged extrajudicial actions targeted at Nigerians living in South Africa and other parts of Africa. This situation is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and a gross violation of the fundamental right to life and human dignity guaranteed under international humanitarian rights law; the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights and a breach of the diplomatic friendship between Nigeria and South Africa. These incessant attacks and mass murders of Nigerians in xenophobic violence are absolutely unacceptable. It is either that the Nigerian government takes steps to sanction South Africa through diplomatic disengagement immediately or the organised civil rights community would be left with no option but to embark on nationwide protests against SOUTH AFRICA and businesses with South African interests in Nigeria.

According to available reports, Amaramiro Emmanuel reportedly died on April 20 after sustaining injuries allegedly inflicted by personnel of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), while Ekpenyong Andrew, who was arrested following an encounter with metro police officers, was later confirmed dead at a Pretoria mortuary under unclear circumstances. These incidents demand urgent, transparent, and independent investigations by South African authorities, including full accountability for all individuals found culpable.

HURIWA notes with concern that repeated assurances from South African authorities have not translated into a lasting end to violence and profiling of Nigerians. This recurring failure raises serious questions about the effectiveness of existing diplomatic engagements and the protection mechanisms available to Nigerian citizens abroad.

We therefore state as follows:
1. Nigeria Must Recalibrate Its Foreign Policy on Reciprocity
Nigeria must urgently review its diplomatic doctrine to reflect the principle of reciprocity and mutual respect. Countries that consistently fail to guarantee the safety, dignity, and rights of Nigerian citizens should not continue to enjoy unqualified diplomatic privileges.
HURIWA believes that diplomacy must not be passive in the face of repeated killings of Nigerians. A firm, strategic, and interest-driven foreign policy is now necessary to protect national dignity and citizen security.
2. Immediate Diplomatic Disengagement with South Africa
We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately summon the South African High Commissioner in Abuja to demand clear explanations, actionable commitments, and time-bound measures to stop the killings and abuses of Nigerians without which the diplomatic relationship should be frozen in the next 48 hours indefinitely.

Nigeria must also insist on full transparency in ongoing investigations and ensure that victims and their families receive justice without delay.
3. Consideration of Strong Diplomatic Measures
While HURIWA supports peaceful diplomacy, we stress that continued inaction or weak responses will embolden further attacks. Nigeria must be prepared to consider all lawful diplomatic options, including a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with South Africa, should these killings persist without accountability.
4. Reform of Nigeria’s Diaspora Protection Institutions
HURIWA expresses concern over the apparent inefficiency of institutions mandated to protect Nigerians abroad, particularly the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). There is an urgent need for structural reform, institutional strengthening, and leadership review to ensure competence, neutrality, and effectiveness.
Appointments to such sensitive agencies must be based strictly on merit, experience, and capacity—not political patronage. The protection of Nigerians abroad must never be reduced to partisan politics or public relations exercises.
5. End to the Normalisation of Xenophobic Violence
The continued stereotyping and profiling of Nigerians as criminals in parts of South Africa and elsewhere is dangerous and unacceptable. Such narratives fuel hostility and justify violence against innocent people. Governments across Africa must collectively reject xenophobia in all its forms and enforce strict accountability for perpetrators.
6. Call for African Solidarity Based on Justice
HURIWA reiterates that African unity must not be built on silence in the face of injustice. True Pan-Africanism requires mutual respect, protection of human rights, and equal treatment of all African citizens regardless of nationality.
Nigeria, as a leading African nation, must take a principled stand that protects its citizens while promoting continental stability.
CONCLUSION
HURIWA extends its condolences to the families of the deceased and calls for immediate action to prevent further loss of Nigerian lives abroad. The time for cautious and reactive diplomacy is over. Nigeria must act decisively, firmly, and strategically to protect its citizens wherever they are in the world.
We demand justice, accountability, and urgent reforms—both within South Africa and within Nigeria’s diplomatic and diaspora protection framework.

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ADC leadership crisis deepens as Mark faction urges swift Supreme Court verdict

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Nationalsecurity: Gov. Diri Okays Use Of Kinetic, Non-Kinetic Approaches For Tackling Insecurity. ‎ ‎Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Monday, said the adoption of both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in the fight against banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and other forms of criminality will help in tackling insecurity rocking the country. ‎ ‎Governor Diri stated this during a courtesy visit of participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 19, of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) in Government House, Yenagoa. ‎ ‎The Bayelsa Chief Executive, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, emphasised the need for complementation, stressing that no military strategy, however sophisticated, can substitute for inclusive governance and equitable distribution of resources that will give the citizenry a sense of belonging. ‎ ‎He informed that his administration was sustaining the prevailing peace in Bayelsa mainly through non-kinetic measures, such as prioritisation of youth employment, skills acquisition scholarships and as well as opening up rural communities with roads and bridges to engender socio-economic development. ‎ ‎Describing the theme of the NISS study tour, “Ethnic Militias and Resource Competition in Africa: Implications for National Security”, as apt, Governor Diri said that Bayelsa and the Niger Delta are most suitable environments to conduct such research activity. ‎ ‎He recalled that the Niger Delta agitations in the past were necessitated by decades of criminal neglect and marginalisation its people suffered despite the region’s huge contributions to the commonwealth of the Nigerian state. ‎ ‎Stressing the need for equitable resource sharing, Senator Diri pointed out that when ethnic communities felt alienated from resources on their own soil, there is the likely tendency for the affected people to resort to armed violence. ‎ ‎He commended the Director General and the entire leadership of the NISS for ‎consistently investing in the intellectual and professional capital of the nation’s security and intelligence architecture, expressing optimism that the team would work hard to actualize its study objectives to promote national security. ‎ ‎His words: ” We welcome you and also appreciate you for choosing Bayelsa for this particular study tour. These studies are so important; but most of the time, because we don’t study, we don’t get empirical data or information on what is really going on. And so, we tend to theorize everything. ‎ ‎”We take this study very seriously. Therefore, we commend the Director General and the entire leadership of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Abuja, for your consistent investment in the intellectual and professional capital of our national intelligence and security architecture. ‎ ‎ ‎”Distinguished participants, your chosen theme — “Ethnic Militias and Resource Competition in Africa: Implications for National Security’ — could scarcely have found a more appropriate field laboratory than Bayelsa State, and indeed, the wider Niger Delta. ‎ ‎”Bayelsa is the heart of the Niger Delta. Beneath our creeks, our mangroves and our communities lie the wealth that has powered the Nigerian economy for over six decades. Yet, for so long, our people lived with the painful paradox of plenty gas flares lighting the night sky over our communities without electricity, pipelines crossing farmlands that no longer yielded crops, and a generation of young men and women growing up to watch wealth pass them by. ‎ ‎”On the issue of national security, I believe that no military strategy, however sophisticated, can substitute for inclusive governance, equitable resource sharing, and a credible social contract between the state and its citizens. ‎ ‎And so, in Bayelsa, the Prosperity Administration of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, has continued to use more of the non-kinetic approach by prioritizing youth empowerment, skills acquisition, scholarships and the opening up of our communities through critical infrastructure. ‎ ‎”Because we understand that an idle, hopeless and excluded young person is the most fertile recruiting ground any militia, anywhere in the world, can ever hope for. I respectfully urgently urge you to look closely at what has worked here in the Niger Delta, what has not and why.” ‎ ‎Earlier in her opening remarks, the NISS team lead, Mrs. Vivian Okpeh, said the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 19 is a 10-month intensive training programme designed to equip participants with advanced skills in intelligence management, strategic leadership and national security policy formulation. ‎ ‎She further said that the study theme was carefully selected in recognition of the growing influence of militia groups, noting that their activities have profound implications for governance, economic stability and national development, which require a coordinated and well resourced response ‎ ‎While calling for greater collaboration between the NISS and Bayelsa, Mrs. Okpeh expressed readiness of the Institute to partner the state government in training the 2027 set of participants in the EIMC programme in Bayelsa. ‎ ‎

Law & Crime

Lifu Judgement : ADC Guber Candidates Forum Seeks Int. Community’s Intervention

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By Grorge Abuja
As the awaits the outcome of Justice Peter Lifu’s judgment invalidating Sen. David Mark led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ( ADC), a Forum of the African Democratic Congress gubernatorial candidates has condemned the ruling and sought the intervention of International community.

Recall that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court ,Abuja had in its judgment invalidated Sen. David Mark led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

The Forum had at a Press Conference on thursday at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja , described the judgment as a dangerous assault on multi party democracy and a threat to Nigetian’ s 2027 electoral process.

A former member of the house of Representatives and ADC kwara state gubernatorial candidates, Hon Zakari Mohammed who spoke on behalf of the forum urged the international Community to monitor the development and process leading to the 2027 general election.

He said ” We Call on the International Community, African Union, ECOWAS, United Nations, Commonwealth and Democratic Institutions Worldwide to Intervene Against the Growing Threat to Opposition Politics in Nigeria.
Distinguished members of the press, fellow Nigerians, representatives of the international community, ladies and gentlemen.
We address you today on behalf of the Forum of African Democratic Congress (ADC) Gubernatorial Candidates across Nigeria, at a defining moment in the history of our democracy.

“We are compelled to speak out against the November 5, 2026 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the ADC under Senator David Mark and invalidated decisions taken under that leadership,
This judgment has profound implications beyond the internal affairs of the ADC. It raises fundamental questions about judicial consistency, political participation, the independence of democratic institutions and the future of multiparty democracy in Nigeria.

“We consider the decision a grave assault on democratic freedoms and a development capable of destabilising the 2027 electoral process if its implications are not urgently addressed through lawful constitutional remedies.

“We hereby formally draw the attention of the international community to the unfolding developments in Nigeria.
We call on:
The United Nations Secretary-General and relevant democratic institutions of the United Nations.
The African Union Commission and its Peace and Security Council.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Commonwealth Secretariat.
The European Union and European Parliament.
The United States Government and the United Kingdom Government.
International human rights organisations and democracy-monitoring institutions.
International election observation organisations.

“We urge these institutions to closely monitor developments surrounding opposition political parties in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
We specifically call on them to engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the relevant Nigerian authorities on the need to guarantee political pluralism, judicial independence, freedom of association and equal opportunities for all political parties.

“We are not inviting foreign governments to dictate Nigeria’s political choices or interfere in the legitimate judicial process.
Rather, we are asking the international community to uphold the democratic commitments Nigeria has voluntarily undertaken and to ensure that the rights of Nigerian citizens to participate in free and competitive elections are protected.
Nigeria cannot sign international democratic instruments, make commitments to democratic governance and subsequently treat those obligations as ceremonial documents”

The Forum called on the appellate courts to urgently examine the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu and determine the issues raised in accordance with the Constitution, established judicial precedents and the rule of law.

It urged President Tinubu to create the environment that will guarantee free participation than harassment and muzzling of the opposition .

“You cannot demand democratic legitimacy while allowing an environment in which opposition parties face persistent uncertainty over their ability to organise and contest elections.
If you seek another mandate, face the Nigerian people.
Present your achievements, defend your policies and submit yourself to the judgment of the electorate.
That is the essence of democracy.
The opposition is not an enemy of Nigeria. Political disagreement is not treason. Competition for public office is not an act of hostility against the state”

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Law & Crime

Niger Police Assures FUT Minna of Enhanced Security

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BY UTHMAN BABA-NASEER,MINNA

The Niger State Police Command has assured the management of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, of sustained police patrols and enhanced security around the university to protect students, staff and property.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, gave the assurance when he received the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Adamu Faruk Kuta, and his entourage during a courtesy visit to the Command Headquarters in Dutsen-kura, Minna.

The Vice-Chancellor commended the Police for their prompt response to distress calls and security requests, as well as their continued support in maintaining safety within and around the university environment.

Professor Kuta said the institution, which is approaching its 44th anniversary, has a growing population of about 40,000 students from different parts of the country, making sustained collaboration with the Police necessary to ensure the safety of students, staff and university facilities.

He disclosed that the university had recently commenced medical programmes and sought the support of the Police Command in providing opportunities for students to undertake practical training where necessary.

The Vice-Chancellor also praised the commitment and visibility of police patrol teams around the institution, while requesting sustained and increased deployment to address security challenges associated with its growing population.

Responding, CP Elleman described the university’s requests as part of the constitutional responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the institution.

He assured the Vice-Chancellor of improved collaboration, sustained police presence and enhanced patrols around the university, particularly at night, to protect students engaged in legitimate academic activities and prevent criminal activities.

The Commissioner urged the university management to promptly report security concerns to the Police, assuring them of the Command’s readiness to respond appropriately.

He further assured the delegation that all the requests presented would receive adequate attention, while expressing appreciation for the visit and reaffirming the Command’s commitment to maintaining a cordial and productive relationship with the university management.

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Law & Crime

Suspected cultists kill rival member in Bayelsa, hid his mutilated corpse in a sack

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By David Owei,Bayelsa
There was a sense of horror in Yenagoa, the Bayelsà following the suspected cultists killing of a rival and his his mutilated corpse in a sack.

The sack containing the mutilated body of the victim, according to sources, was dropped in front of the FCMB bank located at Obele junction in the outskirts of the State capital.

The incident according to sources occured on Monday night and the Corpse was discovered on Tuesday Morning.

The killing of the deceased has again threatened the peace recorded under the present leadership of the Police led by Commissioner Ajao Saka Adewale.

Investigation by our correspondent gathered that the deceased, whose identity is yet to be known, was reported to have defected from the notorious cult group, Greenlanders to rival notorious group known as Bobos.

And was accused to have led members of his new group on a “proof of loyalty,” to allegedly attack and kill a member of his former group at the back of Amarata.

It was gathered that suspected members of the Greenlanders were allegedly provoked and reportedly lures him out with a woman and death him several deadly matchet cuts.

Some Residents of the Obele area confirmed to newsmen that the Corpse of the deceased was kept carefully in a sack soaked in blood and left by the FCMB bank.

Concerned Youths and vigilante group contacted the police and the sack was evacuated.

In the last three days after the discovery of the bagged corpse, residents of the Sand Road, Aritalin, GweGwe and Obele streets have been thrown into restless nights due to the activities of the rival cult groups searching for one another.

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