The Consul General of Nigeria in Johannesburg, South Africa, Godwin Adama, has said that the conception by some communities in South African that Nigerians engage in drug peddling and drug sales is responsible for xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in the country.

Adama, in an interview published in today’s edition of Sunday Sun said that he had in fact been told in certain areas in South Africa that they will not have youths in the next 10 years because some of their youths have taken to drugs. He, however, pointed out that most of the killings are not as a result of xenophobic attacks, adding that Nigerians kill themselves in South Africa as a result of cult-related issues and drug-deals.

Adama said: “One thing here is that cult-related killings are so high. Some Nigerians belong to certain cult groups: Aiye Fraternity and all these other things. They are here. And most of the killings that take place mostly around Sunnyside where Nigerians reside a lot in Pretoria are as a result of such cult-related killings.

“The second one is drug-related issues like what happened in Ozubulu. It is here because the two sides are here. What they did in Ozubulu, they do it here. Recently, two of them were killed and then, there was a revenge again immediately after. So, this is a continuous something and we have tried every means, but it is difficult to get into that, to really resolve it. I believe that resolving such issues will be more from home because they come from the same area.”

On the solution, the Consul General said that the endless killings would continue “except if we Nigerians agree to change our mentality on what we do, either to make money or to be able to survive.”

Explaining, he said: “One thing here is that cult-related killings are so high. Some Nigerians belong to certain cult groups: Aiye Fraternity and all these other things. They are here. And most of the killings that take place mostly around Sunnyside where Nigerians reside a lot in Pretoria are as a result of such cult-related killings. The second one is drug-related issues like what happened in Ozubulu. It is here because the two sides are here. What they did in Ozubulu, they do it here. Recently, two of them were killed and then, there was a revenge again immediately after. So, this is a continuous something and we have tried every means, but it is difficult to get into that, to really resolve it. I believe that resolving such issues will be more from home because they come from the same area.

“The issue of 419 is a very serious thing here too. A number of Nigerians are very involved in it and in the process, some also set themselves up in terms of trying to get certain advantages over each other and that is why some of them now take into fetish and occultic movements. And even among some businesses, it may not just be drug, but because I feel that you are prospering more than me, we have seen such things among Nigerians and we have settled a number of them.

“Some Nigerians will do business with other Nigerians and they will not meet up whatever agreement that they have made in terms of money. And it is very easy for an individual to go and take the life of another one just for double-crossing him and all that. So, there are quite a number of other things. Aside from that, the envy of South Africans sometimes on the way they see Nigerians.

“Nigerians generally are very hardworking people. I mean, when they come to a place, aside from those who are into crime, there are some that are doing well. But the product of their existence sometimes is loud. You can imagine in a locality where everybody is struggling, these people don’t have anything; you are living very well and living large. So, it leads to hatred and when there is little opportunity, they go against them. They loot their shops and all that. That has been something that is very, very disturbing because sometimes, there is even no need to go and attack people. Some are doing very well in their shops, but they use simple opportunity. And when they do that, that is why sometimes you can call it criminally-induced because when they do that sometimes, they want to go and loot.”

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