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A 17-year-old Nigerian teenager, Chinonso Dennis Obiaju, was on Saturday evening shot dead in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The President of Nigerian Union in South Africa, Mr Adetola Olubajo, confirmed the killing to newsmen. He said the deceased student lived in Roodeprt, Johannesburg with his guardian.
Olubajo told NAN on telephone that the late boy’s guardian, Mr Mike Nsofor, disclosed that the shooting occured at about 6.30 p.m.
“He went to buy from a shop with his friend and someone chased and opened fire on them, killing him,’’ he quoted the Nsofor as saying.
He added that the family would be burying him in South Africa, noting that the union’s leaders in Johannesburg would be contacting him on developments.
Olubajo said they were going to the Police on Monday to finalise on the registry and provision of his papers.
“He was born here, I learnt and the Mother is in the U.S.
“I have spoken to Mike Nsofor to pass the Nigerian community’s condolences and call for justice to be served in this case as anybody who hunt down a young school boy couldn’t have any justifiable reasons,’’ Olubajo said.
He implored the Federal Government to urgently protect Nigerians in the Diaspora.
Obiaju’s death comes just a week after another Nigerian, Mrs. Obianuju Ndubuisi-Chukwu, the Deputy Director-General of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) was murdered in her hotel room in South Africa. She was killed on June 13.
Since 2016, at least 200 Nigerians have been killed in xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where it is believed that up to 800,000 Nigerians, mostly young people, reside.