Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Kabiru Bala, will any moment from now be recalled for consultation over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in that country, a source close to the Presidency tells Daily Sun.
This was disclosed to reporters on Wednesday by the source, who pleaded anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the matter.
The source further disclosed that Nigeria has also pulled out of World Economic Forum on Africa in Capetown, South Africa, on September 4-6 over the xenophobic attacks.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was to represent Nigeria at the Forum.
Earlier, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Malawi pulled out of the event.
Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Felix Tshisekedi (DRC) and Peter Mutharika (Malawi) have all withdrawn from the event.
The source added that Nigeria has also demanded full compensation for the victims of the attacks.
According to the source, this is the outcome of President Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo and Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama’s brainstorming session on the raging xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa.
Onyeama had on Tuesday during at a joint news briefing with the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Bobby Moroe, insisted:
“In the first place, we must address the issue of compensation. There has to be accountability and there has to be responsibility for compensating all those Nigerians that have suffered loss and we are going to absolutely push forward.”
Retaliating to the attacks, protesters on Wednesday morning stormed South African owned Shoprite mall in Abuja, part of a spate of local protests against South African owned establishments in Nigeria as tensions between the two countries mount.