Federal Government has asked the South African government to investigate and punish those involved in the killing of a Nigerian in Johannesburg in December last year.

It also called on Pretoria to end extra-judicial killings, criminalising immigrants and xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who visited the South African high commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, sought assurances that xenophobic attacks against Nigerians by South Africans would be stopped.

Her visit was sequel to the killing of a Nigerian, Tochukwu Nnadi, in December last year by South African police officers. Nnadi was choked to death for allegedly dealing in hard drugs.

Erewa complained that over 116 Nigerians were killed within two years in South Africa, 63 per cent of the extra-judicial killings carried out by the police.

She expressed sadness over the criminalising Nigerians by South Africans, noting that Nigeria and South Africa should rather be engaging in cooperation that could lead to social-economic development as the ‘two giants of Africa.’

Erewa pointed out that Nigerians who broke the law deserved to be punished, but added that jungle justice should not be meted on them.

She called on the South African authorities to educate their citizens on the need to stop killings of immigrants which she described as senseless.