Two Nigerians identified simply as Austin and Ayo have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Durban, South Africa.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident occurred on Thursday, July 9.
It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering three, stormed Austin’s office around 8 pm.
Upon gaining entry into the office, the gunmen, who were said to be wearing masks, met both of them and shot them on the spot.
A friend of one of the deceased, who identified himself simply as Fidelis, told our correspondent on the telephone on Monday that both died on the spot.
He said, “Austin runs a car business and also sells tyres in Durban. On the day of the incident, his friend Ayo came to visit him at his shop. They were standing and talking when some men wearing masks suddenly ran into the shop. The men were holding guns, and without saying a word, they shot both of them.”
Fidelis said some customers who were present in the shop fled when they saw the men wielding their guns before the attack.
“People nearby said they heard gunshots and saw the masked men run away quickly after the attack. Efforts were made to rush the victims to the hospital, where they were confirmed dead on arrival by doctors on duty,” he added.
Another source based in Nigeria and privy to the incident had earlier sent a Closed-Circuit Television footage of the incident to our correspondent.
In the footage, the late friends were both seen standing and having a chat when the gunmen emerged from the rear and shot Austin at close range. Ayo was, however, shot while trying to escape.
“We got to know about the incident a week after it happened. Although there were claims that the killing was connected to a business that went wrong, we had yet to figure out the cause of the attack. Even as we speak, the authorities have yet to fish out the perpetrators. We were only told an investigation was ongoing,” the source disclosed.
The spokesperson for the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Adulrahman Balogun, could not be reached for his reactions as calls made to his telephone were not responded to. A text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time of filing this report.
PUNCH Metro reported in May that the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa demanded justice following the death of another two Nigerians, Taiwo Raji and Yemi Akinwunmi, who were shot dead by a South African citizen in Pretoria.
Raji and Akinwunmi were gunned down in front of their shops on Church Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, on 20th April, 2025.
NICASA President, Frank Onyekwelu, in a statement, noted that the Nigerian community had sought legal redress, but justice had not been served as the suspected killer was released on bail by a South African court.
In another incident, the NICASA president disclosed that a Nigerian businessman, Silas Ani, was kidnapped at his residence in Springs, Johannesburg.
Ani and other victims were allegedly abducted by a man identified as Xolani Khumalo on April 24, 2025.
Onyekwelu also described as unfortunate, the death of one Julius Chukwunta, who was attacked and killed on December 7, 2024, at his residence in an area called Midrand in Johannesburg. (Punch)
