The Government of Abia State has condemned what it termed the brutal killing of a Nigerian citizen of Abia State origin, Mr Chika Ibe, from the Lokpaukwu Umunneochi Local Government Area by officers of the South African Police Service in Cape Town on Wednesday, July 23, 2026.
Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to Governor Otti on Media and Publicity, said that 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.
He said that 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.
Ekeoma said that in one of the videos, Mr Ibe was heard shouting loudly, “I’m dying,” yet the police officers remained unperturbed until he stopped breathing.
He said that the incident that took Ibe’s life comes on the heels of reports that another Nigerian, Mr Egwabor Patrick Chuks, was also shot and is currently receiving treatment for severe injuries.
Ekeoma said that the 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,” he said.
The Abia State government went further to make the following calls: “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.
“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.
“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.
Governor Alex Otti Excellency Governor Alex Otti, on behalf of the government and good people of Abia State, commiserates with the family of Mr Ibe. We pray that God would grant them the fortitude to bear this painful loss and the soul of the deceased eternal repose.
