Dabiri said that for the sake of the family of the deceased and the country, the government of South African should do everything possible to get to the root of the matter.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Citizens in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Tuesday, visited the South African Embassy in Abuja to demand the authorities to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of a Nigerian, Elizabeth Udubuisi-Chukwu, in her hotel room in South Africa.
Abike, who was in the company of the brother of the deceased, Chiedu Ndubisi, said the family and Nigerian government would like to see the outcome of the investigation on the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased who died on June 13, 2019, at Kempton Park, Gauteng Province.
She said, “We are here to implore you to please ensure that the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of late Elizabeth be unraveled.”
Dabiri said that for the sake of the family of the deceased and the country, the government of South African should do everything possible to get to the root of the matter.
She said, “For the sake of the family, we need to know how, why, when and what happened to her. We know we have been dealing with xenophobia in South Africa, which is in fairness to the South African government. We have about eight policemen that have been charged for cases allegedly linked to the maltreatment of Nigerians in South Africa.”
She called on Nigerians to be of good behaviour wherever they find themselves.
In his remarks, Chiedu Ndubuisi, brother to the deceased, thanked the South African Government for their efforts in investigating the death. He expressed confidence that the family would get justice at the end of the investigation.
While responding, the South African Acting High Commissioner, Bobby Moroe, said that investigation had been opened on the matter in Johannesburg.
Moroe added that the embassy would make the outcome of the investigation open to the family of the deceased and the Nigerian government.
He added that the South African police were working closely with the management of Emperor Palace Hotel where the incident occurred.
He added that video footage from the hotel had been obtained and being studied, adding that the embassy would provide an update as soon as they get information from the authorities regarding the matter.
Moroe said, “We will not like to put the cart before the horse because we think this is a very sensitive case. We need to treat it with great respect. We are talking about the loss of human lives and our government is dealing with it with greater priority.”
Elizabeth Ndubuisi-Chukwu died on June 13 at Kempton Park, Gauteng Province. She is said to be the Deputy Director-General of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN).
She was in South Africa to attend the conference of the African Insurance Organisation (AIO).
