Imoleayo Oyedeyi and Muhammed Lawal
Nigerians living in South Africa have raised the alarm over a fresh wave of xenophobic threats by an anti-migrant group known as Operation Dudula.
Leaders of Nigerian communities are calling for urgent diplomatic intervention following reports of attacks and harassment allegedly spearheaded by the group, which has been accused of blocking foreigners from accessing public hospitals.
The outcry comes amid sustained harassment that began earlier this year, fuelling fears of another round of xenophobic violence.
In a viral video clip seen by Saturday PUNCH, one of the group’s leaders was captured ordering foreigners out of a public hospitals.
“If you know yourself that you are not a South African, please stand up. Stand up right now. Don’t try us because we are going to check everybody,” he declared while marching them out of the facility.
Founded as a grassroots campaign, Operation Dudula claims to be fighting illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and what it calls the unlawful takeover of jobs and services by undocumented foreigners.
According to reports, members of the group have been blocking clinics, inspecting businesses, and confronting immigrants.
In separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, leaders of Nigerian associations and affected residents recounted harrowing experiences and warned that the crisis had reached an alarming level.
The President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, Frank Onyekwelu, described the attacks as another wave of xenophobia targeted at foreign nationals.
“We have cried out at this ill-treatment, which we see as another form of xenophobic attack, as they are expressing hate and injustice against foreign nationals. We are not happy with it,” he told Saturday PUNCH.
Onyekwelu said the Nigerian community had already reached out to political groups and immigration bodies to express concerns.
He urged both governments to intervene diplomatically.
The community leader narrated disturbing cases, including women giving birth on bare floors outside hospitals without me
dical care, and patients being discharged without treatment.
Credit: Punch
