The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has dissociated itself from the attack and looting of South African firms in Nigeria, noting with great dismay, the recent barbaric violence in South Africa, as well as, the attempted reprisal by some misguided youths in Nigeria.

“While we join the rest of the world in condemning the wanton killing and destruction of property in South Africa, we wish to register out displeasure of the recent vandalism and attacks on multinational firms in Nigeria, particularly Abuja, the nation’s capital,” the Association said in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by its National President, Chinonso Obasi.

NANS said: “Our attention was drawn to visuals of some hirelings that carried out mindless destruction and looting of offices and commercial entities owned or run by South Africans in Nigeria. NANS, being a responsible union of Nigerian students, have met and resolved to issue this rebuttal and calls on Nigeria security agencies to fish out the criminals looting and destroying offices of companies doing legitimate business in the country.

“It is regrettable that the security agencies failed to nip the destruction by heeding our earlier alert that some enemies of due process were hiring jobless artisans to levy destruction on South African businesses in the name of anti-xenophobe protests.

“The National Association of Nigerian Students under my leadership as President had in a press statement that was published on many online media platforms on February 23, 2017 revealed that plans by some disgruntled elements to disguise their hunger for mischief by gathering street urchins (popularly called Area Boys) from neighbouring settlements in the name of our responsible umbrella body (NANS) to carry out attacks on facilities and investments owned by South African interests.

“While the xenophobic attacks in South Africa is unfortunate, barbaric and constitutes a breach of human rights and harmonious diplomatic relations among countries, we are convinced that reprisal action was the best approach to counteract such base and cowardly behaviour.

“We insist that instead of emulating the lowliness of banditry, young people, particularly undergraduates of higher institutions of learning should show higher moral examples.

We therefore condemn in totality, the attacks on business offices owned by South Africans, particularly MTN Nigeria Communications Limited by criminals whose unstated intention was to put Nigeria and its future leaders into disrepute.

“By the same token we state without equivocation that the unruly protesters that attacked and destroyed public buildings and looted shops in the name of anti-xenophobe protests were not members of the National Association of Nigerian Students.

“Consequently, the security agencies should swing into action immediately to examine the video clips of the protests and hold the culprits to disclose their identities and real motives for their obvious criminal actions.

“We have it on good record that some of the firms vandalised and looted are partly owned by Nigerians, but also involved in job creation for Nigerian youths. As such there is no way students who are worried by spiralling graduate unemployment should leave their academic pursuit to engage in orgy of violence.”

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