The Association of Nigerian Citizens of South Africa has flayed the invasion of the Nigerian Consulate General premises in Johannesburg by City Power and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police.
NICASA Secretary General Kareem Tunde revealed this in a statement in the context of the association’s reaction to the invasion of the Nigerian consulate by the South African authorities.
Tunde said: “We wish to express our position on the issue involving the Consulate General in Johannesburg and the Municipal Branch there.
“We condemn the unwarranted actions of City Power and the police cohort on the property of the Nigerian Consulate.
“It is clear that City Power intended to embarrass and humiliate Nigeria and the Nigerian citizens there.
“There can be no plausible excuse to justify the invasion of the Nigerian Consulate General; the action is very retrograde, xenophobic and avoidable”.
He denounced the actions of City Power and said that if they could invade any country’s consulate without consequences, then the Police could do the same.
According to him, the police could also enter any consulate and make an arrest without respecting the Vienna Convention on consular relations.
“We hope that the government of the two countries will take strong measures against those responsible for this reprehensible act to prevent it from happening again.
“NICASA wishes to advise our citizens to remain calm, the matter is being dealt with diplomatically by the Consulate General and it will be satisfactorily resolved,” he added.
Along the same lines, Nigeria Union Gauteng described the act as disrespectful of the Vienne Convention on Diplomatic Missions.
The union mentioned that City Power and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police had invaded the Nigerian diplomatic facility in Johannesburg on January 18, without proper consultation and without the permission of the Consulate General.
The union in its statement noted a similar situation occurred on December 11, 2011, but consular officials denied access to the allegedly heavily armed police from the Bramley police station.
He also warned that if this were to happen again, the union would have no choice but to mobilize the community for a peaceful protest.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries.
YAYA
