Nigerian Man "ThankGod Okoro" Shot Dead South African Police.

A 30-year-old Nigerian man identified as ThankGod Okoro, was reportedly killed in South Africa after he was shot in the head by a Police officer.


ThankGod Okoro from Ogbaku in the Agwu Local Government Area of Enugu State, was killed in circumstances described as part of the continuous pre-meditated murder of Nigerians.

On Friday, the Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Union in South Africa, Mr Habib Miller, who is based in Pretoria, has confirmed the killing of Okoro during a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The union is not happy with the latest murder of ThankGod Okoro on April 9 by a member of the South African Police Flying Squad at Hamburg, Florida West Rand in Johannesburg.

“The officer, who shot Okoro claimed that the young man attempted to stab him during a stop-and-search operation.

“Our team has gone to the Florida Police Station to ensure that due process is followed in an attempt to seek justice on the killing.

“The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has been notified of the killing of Mr Okoro” he said.

Mr Miller disclosed that the police in Florida State had commenced investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the killing of the Nigerian.

The spokesman said, however, that the union learnt from investigators that the trigger-happy police officer had boasted few weeks before the incident that he would kill Mr Okoro. He pleaded with the South African authorities to wade into the matter to discourage wanton killing of Nigerians by policemen in the former apartheid enclave.

“Anyone suspected or found on the wrong side of the law should be arrested and tried at the appropriate court rather than killing Nigerians extra-judiciously,” he said.

According to reports, no fewer than 117 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa since February 2016.  Unofficial estimates put the number of Nigerians residing in South Africa at about 800,000 majority of whom are young people.