Following the much-awaited African Cup of Nations (AFCON) match between South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Nigeria’s Super Eagles, former senator Shehu Sani made a moving appeal to the people of South Africa to reject any violent tendencies towards Nigerians living in their nation.

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Sen. Sani sent a sincere statement to the people of South Africa, voicing his concerns over the worrying rumors that, should Bafana Bafana lose to the Super Eagles, the lives of Nigerians living in South Africa may be in jeopardy. He underlined the necessity of ending the cycle of criminality and bloodshed that has tarnished the ties between the two African countries.

Addressing South Africans directly, Senator Sani wrote on his X page;

“Dear South Africans, The speculation going around is that the lives of Nigerians living in South Africa are at risk if Bafana loses to the Nigerian team, the Super Eagles. Violence, lawlessness, and thuggery should not continue to be a recurring decimal in the relationship between us. Apart from the history of our unflinching support for your freedom, presently, your country has much more in stock and at stake in Nigeria than we do in SA. In the spirit of sportsmanship and the African Brotherhood, AFCON should strengthen the bond between us rather than being the source of another specter of hatred and violence meted out against Nigerians residing in SA. Long Live Africa.”