Federal Government has stated that it will seek compensation from South Africa for Nigerians who lost businesses and properties after fleeing violent anti-African immigrant protests sweeping that country.

Acting Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi said affected returnees are documenting their abandoned assets to support the government’s planned claims.

Ad >>>

This is also the Nigerian government insists that its citizens in the southern African country entered legally but were affected by South Africa’s immigration document renewal delays.

Making the disclosure, Tuesday, during a live television interview, the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, added that the Nigerian government has begun documenting businesses, vehicles, and other assets left behind by returnees as part of efforts to pursue compensation.

“I have asked them to document very accurately those things they were leaving behind in terms of businesses, cars, movable and immovable properties. We can now take it up with the South African government,” Ajayi said.

He explained that the government’s intervention would not end with evacuating affected citizens, stressing that efforts would continue to recover the value of abandoned investments.

“We are going to systematically follow up and work with the South African government to get to the exact locations of all these businesses, shops and properties, because we will not allow the labour people have suffered to build over the years to just go down the drain.”

Ajayi also dismissed claims that most Nigerians living in South Africa are undocumented immigrants, insisting that many entered the country legally but became victims of prolonged delays in renewing their immigration documents.Nigeria travel guides

“You cannot rightly claim that these were undocumented because most of them came to the country legally. They were caught up in unnecessary delays,” he stated.