Post by Dagogo Aki (@Dagie)

It is completely unacceptable to blame Nigerians as a people for South Africa’s drug problem. Nigerians will not defend criminals, and any individual involved in drug trafficking, violence, or any form of criminal activity should be arrested, prosecuted, and punished according to the law. But it is equally wrong, unfair, and irresponsible to use the actions of a few criminals to condemn an entire nationality.

The criminal conduct of some individuals does not erase the value, dignity, and contribution of the many Nigerians who live honestly, work hard, run legitimate businesses, study, pay taxes, raise families, and contribute positively to South African society. Crime is committed by individuals, not by passports.

South Africans also need to be honest and reflective about the issue. The culture of substance abuse in South Africa did not begin with Nigerians living in South Africa. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, gangsterism, unemployment, broken communities, weak enforcement, corruption, and social decay are deep-rooted issues that existed long before Nigerians became convenient targets in public conversations.

Blaming Nigerians may be politically easy, but it does not solve the problem. It only fuels xenophobia, distracts from the real causes of drug abuse, and prevents serious engagement with the failures in policing, border control, community leadership, education, rehabilitation, and social support systems.

Let the law go after criminals firmly, regardless of whether they are Nigerian, South African, Zimbabwean, Mozambican, Congolese, or from anywhere else. But law-abiding Nigerians must not be collectively insulted, profiled, or blamed for a problem they did not create.

Nigerians will stand against crime. But we will also stand against collective condemnation, xenophobia, and the dangerous idea that the criminal behaviour of a few should define the character of millions.

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