Storm MTN, DSTV, Shoprite in Abuja as police read riot act

From Molly Kilete, Kemi Yesufu, Ndubuisi Orji and Walter Ukaegbu, Abuja

Against the backdrop of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, youths in Abuja, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest at the Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), Shoprite and DSTV offices in Wuse and Maitama Districts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja .

The youths, who gathered at MTN office in the morning, chanted songs and asked MTN management to tell their home government to stop their citizens from attacking Nigerians in South Africa or there will be reprisal.

The youths burnt the South African flag, just as dozens of policemen were on ground to ensure the protest was not hijacked by hoodlums. The policemen brought their vehicles with hot water and tear gas which were stationed at various  locations along MTN office in Maitama.

Chief Executive Oficer of MTN Nigeria, Mr Ferdinand Moolman, who addressed the youths in front of the office, assured the South African government will do everything possible to restore peace among their people and Nigerians.

A witness, who simply identified himself as Oscar, told newsmen “the protest was about the xenophobia attacks in South Africa. The protesters were not happy about the way South Africans have been maltreating Nigerians.

“They wanted to pull down the office, but security operatives prevented them. One of them even suggested that they should go to the South African embassy.”

The incident coincided with a visit by MTN Chairman Mr Phuthuma Nhleko to Abuja to meet acting President Yemi Osinbanjo.

The identity of the protesters has not been revealed, but on Wednesday, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) announced that it would hold a nationwide protest to draw global attention to the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

President of the association, Kadiri Aruna, had described the xenophobic attacks in South Africa as sad and unfortunate.

Aruna, said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria at the office of DSTV, a South African company, in Wuse 2, Abuja, that Nigerian students had resolved to condemn the attacks.

“We are saying that enough is enough as South Africans have openly attacked and bullied Nigerians.’’

Aruna said the protest would also serve as a warning to other countries trying to underrate Nigerians.

He said after 48 hours, if nothing was done, messages would be sent to students in all university campuses to bring down MTN masts all over the country.

Aruna said DSTV and Shoprite would also be affected as the union had put adequate strategies in place to make the action effective.

“All the South African business empires in Nigeria and their collaborators in Nigeria will be affected,” he said.

The Nigerian community in South Africa has recorded two attacks in the last one week.

Five houses and businesses belonging to Nigerians were burnt by a mob on Saturday, February 18, 2017, while 15 houses, either belonging to or rented by immigrants, especially Nigerians, were burnt by angry residents in Rosetten

Nigeria and South Africa, the continent’s two largest economics have a long-standing relationship which dates back to the apartheid era.

On Wednesday, South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni  apologised to Nigerians and other foreigners over the incident in his country.

In the aftermath of the protests, Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Musa Kimo, warned against  reprisal attacks on South African-owned businesses in Abuja. Kimo handed down the warningto protesters at MTN’s Maitama office. He urged them to adopt civil and legitimate channels to register their grievances rather than resorting to self-help and causing security breach.

In a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Mamzah, said “the police, as the custodian of law and order, while being professional in the discharge of its primary duty of the protection of lives and property, will not hesitate to apply the appropriate sections of the law in the prosecution of those arrested for causing the breakdown of law and order”.

Also,  Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Relations,  Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje has called on the South African government to ensure that justice is done by arresting and prosecuting those who attacked Nigerians and destroyed their property.

She equally asked the South African government to compensate Nigerians whose property were destroyed, and added that the decision to send representatives to South -African was done in support of actions already taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The House had, on Wednesday, passed a resolution to send a delegation of legislators and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage the parliament of South Africa towards putting an end to xenophobic attacks on Nigerians.