Nigeria will engage the South African government to seek compensation for citizens who abandoned businesses and properties amid anti-immigrant protests, Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, has said.
Speaking during a television broadcast on Tuesday, Ajayi said Abuja would document losses suffered by Nigerians who fled and present the claims to South African authorities.
The envoy spoke as another batch of Nigerians prepared to return home under the Federal Government’s voluntary evacuation programme.
Ajayi clarified that those being repatriated are Nigerians who voluntarily chose to leave ahead of the latest planned anti-immigrant protests in South Africa.
“We will systematically follow up on the information given to us,” he said. “We will work with the South African government to verify the exact locations of these businesses, shops, and properties, and present them for possible compensation. We will not allow years of labour and investment to go to waste.”
The move comes as anti-immigration marches and xenophobic attacks in South Africa have forced several African countries to repatriate their nationals.
