- Title: Nigerians recall xenophobic S.Africa attacks after returning to Lagos
- Date: 18th September 2019
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (SEPTEMBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF AIRPLANE, AIRPORT OFFICIALS WALKING VARIOUS OF AIRPORT OFFICIALS DIRECTING NIGERIAN RETURNEES MAN WITH HIS CHILDREN QUEUING AIRPORT OFFICIAL GIVING OUT PACKED MEALS AND WATER TO WOMAN AND HER CHILDREN CHILD LOOKING ON VARIOUS PEOPLE QUEUING / CHILD SMILING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NIGERIAN RETURNEE, CHIZOBA UWANDU, SAYING: "It affected us because for the business, nothing is going on, nothing is moving, everything is stands still, nothing is going on. Even they told my kids by the school that they are coming to burn them by the school but from then, my kids were scared to go to school, so I decided no, it is better we come back to our home." WOMAN CARRYING FOLDED BLANKET / BAG VARIOUS OF RETURNEES UNDERGOING SCREENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) RETURNEE, KELLY EKENE, SAYING: "If I have opportunity now to go back to South Africa, I can never go again for my life because I don't like there anymore, I don't like there again. They threatened me, they want to kill me, they burn all my shops everything, cars everything. Look at what I am now. (Do) you understand? So I am comfortable in this country now, my home country Nigeria, I am proud of it." WOMAN SIGNING PAPERS, RETURNEE QUEUING PASSPORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) RETURNEE, CHIDIEBERE AMADI, SAYING: "I don't think I will be able to go back to South Africa because if you are walking in the street you are not safe, you understand, so those people they are still angry with themselves. So the most, what surprised me a lot is when they are breaking the shops their government don't even care, they don't even like (to) bring police to come and help the situation so I don't think I can be able to return to South Africa." VARIOUS OF ENVELOPED CASH ON THE DESK RETURNEES RECEIVING CASH VARIOUS OF LUGGAGE
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2019 22:23
- Keywords: Nigerian returnees Lagos xenophobic attacks South Africa
- Location: LAGOS, NIGERIA
- City: LAGOS, NIGERIA
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001AX6S6YV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A second wave of Nigerians returned to Lagos on Wednesday (September 18) after fleeing a wave of deadly riots and xenophobic attacks in South Africa that mainly targeted foreign-owned, including Nigerian, businesses.
The group of 314 men, women and children arrived almost 24 hours later than scheduled after reports that the South African aviation authority delayed issuing landing permits to Air Peace, the private Nigerian airline that has been air lifting the returnees.
The returnees spoke of their experiences with some saying they would never return to South Africa. Their return came a week after the first wave of 178 Nigerians returned to Lagos on the same airline.
At least 12 people were been killed in the attacks, two of which were foreign nationals, international media reported, in a violence that began in Pretoria and spread to nearby Johannesburg.
South Africa's MTN Group and supermarket chain Shoprite have closed all stores and service centers in Nigeria after retaliatory attacks.
The violence in South Africa has stoked concerns about relations between Africa's two biggest economies.
The latest wave of unrest in South Africa has raised fears of a recurrence of violence in 2015 aimed at foreigners and in which at least seven people were killed. Before that, some 60 people were killed in a wave of unrest around the country in 2008.
(Production: Seun Sanni, Angela Ukomadu, Soraya Ali) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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