By Ado Oyeyemi
A 40-year-old Nigerian, Olatunde Olaleye, has been shot dead while working at a bar in Mamelodi, Pretoria, South Africa.
The Nigerian Union in South Africa disclosed that Olaleye, an indigene of Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was killed on September 21 at Spanata Bar and Grills.
The President-General of the union, Smart Nwobi, said the circumstances surrounding the incident were disturbing, alleging that Olaleye was shot by a South African national following an argument over whether a drinking glass could be taken outside the bar.
Nwobi said the suspect allegedly returned to the premises after the shooting and threatened the management, warning that members of his group would return.
He described Olaleye as a husband and father of two whose death had left his family devastated, while calling for a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“We cannot continue to lose Nigerians under circumstances that leave families devastated and communities traumatised,” Nwobi said.
He urged the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa, including the Consulate-General and High Commission in Pretoria, to engage the South African authorities over the case and use available diplomatic channels to seek justice.
Nwobi also called for improved protection of Nigerians living in South Africa, while expressing condolences to Olaleye’s wife, children and members of the Nigerian community.
The latest incident comes amid other reported deaths of Nigerians in South Africa. Last week, a Nigerian lecturer at the University of Fort Hare, Ayodele Odularu, was reportedly found dead at her residence in the Eastern Cape.
Earlier in September, the Federal Government disclosed that two Nigerians, Taiwo Fakunle and James Nwankwo, were killed in separate incidents reportedly linked to xenophobic attacks against foreigners in South Africa.
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The government, through the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, said Fakunle and Nwankwo were killed in separate incidents on September 4 and 5 respectively.
