(Abia State Governor, Alex Otti. Photo by Punch News)
Chika Ibe, a Nigerian who was born in Abia and lived in Lokpaukwu, Umunneochi Local Government Area, was allegedly slain on Wednesday, July 23, 2026, in Cape Town by personnel of the South African Police Service.
The Abia State Government has denounced the killing.
The state administration claimed it got the news “with shock and deep sadness” in a statement signed and made public on Tuesday by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Advisor to the Governor on Media and Publicity.
The statement read that Governor Alex Otti, on behalf of the government and people of Abia State, commiserated with the family of Mr Ibe and prayed for God’s comfort and for the repose of the deceased’s soul.
It said disturbing videos circulating online showed police officers assaulting Mr Ibe, with one clip allegedly showing an officer using a polyethylene bag to repeatedly suffocate him until he d!ed, while he was heard shouting that he was dying, with the officers reportedly unmoved.
The statement noted that while the circumstances surrounding the operation remain under investigation, the footage revealed a level of cruelty condemnable in the strongest terms.
Ekeoma noted that the k!lling came shortly after reports emerged that another Nigerian, Egwabor Patrick, was also shot and is currently receiving treatment for severe injuries.
The state government joined the Federal Government in demanding a swift, transparent and independent investigation into the k!lling, alongside the identification, arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
Warning that anything short of justice would amount to a further insult to Nigeria and to the memory of the Abian and other Nigerians who have d!ed in similar circumstances.
The government further urged South African authorities to immediately halt the violence and call their citizens to order, describing the att@cks as a sad commentary on Africans who are supposed to live as brothers and sisters.
Ekeoma recalled that many Nigerians in South Africa have, in recent times, been k!lled, ass@ulted or had their businesses looted amid what the statement described as a wave of xenophobic att@cks and targeted violence, stressing that Nigerians in the diaspora deserve to live with dignity and safety rather than in fear.