South Africa Xenophobia Attack: Amina Laments Porous Border in Nigeria
_By Secular Advocacy TV News Desk |
A Nigerian social commentator and activist Ahmed Ohunene Amina has called for domestic reflection following heart trembling reports of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, arguing that Nigeria’s own porous borders raises serious national security concerns.
In a captivating post on her official Facebook handle, Ahmed Ohunene Amina wrote:
“People are shouting that South Africans are killing Nigerians and chasing black foreigners from their country. What about us? Our Borders are SO POROUS that every dick, tom and harry can enter Nigeria, bitter truth. Is it not the problem we are facing now? There are LOTS of foreigners here that do not have documents, lots of crimes are committed and one cannot trace their identity. Lets start from ourselves FIRST.”
The post comes amid Nigerian social media users’ public outcry and condemnation of alleged attacks on African migrants especially Nigerians in parts of South Africa. The decades of periodic flare-ups of xenophobic violence in South Africa, often linked to economic competition and unemployment resurfaced.
Amina’s statements calculatedly shift focus to Nigeria’s border security architecture. Nigeria shares land borders with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon spanning over 4,000km. The Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigerian Customs Service have repeatedly raised alarm over the challenges with unmanned border crossings an undocumented migration.
Nigeria’s Security agencies have also linked undocumented foreign nationals to various criminal activities, though officials stress that most foreigners in Nigeria are law-abiding and that crime rates cannot be attributed to nationality alone.
There has been no official government response to Amina’s post as of press time. The Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service have previously announced plans to strengthen border surveillance through technology and additional personnel.