Joy Anyim
A senior police officer at the Lagos State Police Command has told The Nigerian Xpress that the command had deployed officers to areas where businesses owned by South Africans are located.
The officer, who pleaded for anonymity, said over 12 South African businesses had reached out to the command for the deployment of police officers, following Tuesday’s attack of Shoprite, MTN and PEP retail store, by aggrieved protesters in Lagos.
The source noted that intelligence reports before the police revealed that hoodlums are set to take advantage of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa to loot South African-owned businesses in Lagos.
He also started that same action was been replicated by the police in other states where South African owned businesses are situated.
Reports has it that some of the businesses said to be owned by South Africans, that may be at risk of being attacked in Nigeria include, Power Giant, Eskom Nigeria, South African Airways, South African Breweries (SAB Miller), Stanbic Merchant Bank of Nigeria, Multichoice and Umgeni Water.
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Others include Refresh products, LTA Construction, Protea Hotels, Critical Rescue International, South African-Nigeria Communications, Global Outdoor Semces, Oracle and Airtime.
Major hotels in Ikeja and the Island in Lagos, as well as other parts of the country, are allegedly owned by South African investors, just to mention a few.
Meanwhile, Senator Shehu Sani has cautioned Nigerians to toe the path of peace, Senator Shehu Sani via his twitter handle, @ShehuSani advised: “ These are painful, tragic and sad moments. We must sustain the demand action until we neutralize all forms of #XenophobicAttacks, but We should not vandalize or unleash violence on South African Businesses in Nigeria. The rogues in SA should not be our guide or our compass.”