The South African policemen suspected to be responsible for the death of a 27-year-old Nigerian, Ebuka Okori, have been remanded in prison.
Okori was allegedly killed by two members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Friday, January 19.
Eyewitnesses alleged that Okori was handcuffed and shot dead by the policemen.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa in a statement on Monday said the Nigeria Consulate in South Africa confirmed the arrest of the officers.
The statement which was signed by Dabiri-Erewa’s media aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun said the suspects were arraigned on Monday, January 22.
The accused have therefore been remanded in prison custody till Monday, January 29, for further hearing.
“The South Africans responsible for the violent attack on Nigerians in Durban and other areas have been apprehended and arraigned in South African Court on Monday, January 22.
“The Consulate said Consular officers from the Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg and the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria were in Durban to witness the court proceeding,” the statement read in part.
Dabiri-Erewa, therefore, appealed to Nigerians living in the affected areas to remain calm and await the outcome of the judicial proceedings and also condemned barbaric acts against Nigerians.
“We condemn in strong terms the latest death of Mr Ebuka Okori, 27, a Nigerian national, from Anambra state in the hands of two members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Friday January 19.
“According to the Consulate General of Nigeria in South Africa, the late Okori was killed in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa on Friday.
“We condemn in strong terms the barbaric acts and call on the South African authorities to intervene and put an end to this ugly trend,” she said.
In a related development, the Consulate said that investigation is on to unravel the cause of the death of another Nigerian in Rustenburg, North West Province, South Africa on January 20.
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