“Abia State Government joins the Federal Government in condemning this dastardly act. We recall with pain that in recent times, many Nigerians have either been killed, assaulted, or had their businesses looted in a wave of xenophobic attacks and targeted violence carried out by some South Africans”
In a press statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, The Abia State government condemns the brutal killing of a Nigerian of Abia State descent named Chika Ibe whose murder was alleged to have been aided by the South African Police.
The Abia State Government received with shock and deep sadness the news of the brutal killing of a Nigerian citizen, named Mr. Chika Ibe of Lokpaukwu Umunneochi LGA Abia, in the hands of members of the South African Police Service in Cape Town on Wednesday, July 23, 2026.
Disturbing videos circulating online show police officers assaulting Mr. Ibe, with one officer allegedly using a polyethylene bag to repeatedly suffocate him until he died. The circumstances surrounding the operation are still under investigation, but what is clear from the footage is a level of cruelty that is condemnable in the strongest terms. In one of the videos, Mr. Ibe was heard shouting loudly “I’m dying” yet, the Police Officers remained unperturbed until he stopped breathing.
This incident comes on the heels of reports that another Nigerian, Mr. Egwabor Patrick Chuks, was also shot and is currently receiving treatment for severe injuries.
Abia State Government joins the Federal Government in condemning this dastardly act. We recall with pain that in recent times, many Nigerians have either been killed, assaulted, or had their businesses looted in a wave of xenophobic attacks and targeted violence carried out by some South Africans. Nigerians in the Diaspora deserve to live with dignity and safety, not in fear.
The Abia State government according to the Statement stands with Nigeria’s government disapproval of any act that tends to undermine the safety of its citizens anywhere in the world especially in South Africa and therefore state as follows:
1. That the demands by the Federal Government of Nigeria for immediate answers from the South African government through a swift, transparent, and independent investigation into the killing be done quickly.
2. That the perpetrators of this heinous act must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Anything short of justice will be a further insult to Nigeria and to the memory of this Abian and other Nigerians that had died in similar circumstances.
3. That the government of South Africa should immediately bring this carnage to a halt by genuinely calling its citizens to order. These attacks are a very sad commentary on Africans who are supposed to live as brothers and sisters.
The State Governor, His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti, on behalf of the people of Abia State commiserates with the family of the deceased Nigerian from Abia State and prayed that God would grant the family the fortitude to bear this painful loss.
Signed:
Ferdinand Ekeoma
Special Adviser to the Governor
(Media and Publicity)
July 28, 2026
