Gunmen shoot Nigerian barman dead in South Africa

A Nigerian man identified simply as Chimezie has been shot dead by gunmen at a bar in the Durban area of South Africa.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday while the victim, who worked as a bartender, was attending to customers.

A source familiar with the incident told our correspondent via telephone on Saturday that the attack was carried out by two yet-to-be-identified assailants.

According to the source, who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, the gunmen stormed the bar, walked straight to where Chimezie was standing, and opened fire on him.

“What we learnt was that Chimezie had just resumed work that evening and was busy attending to customers at the bar when two men walked up to him. They had barely spoken for a minute when one of them opened fire on him. He was shot multiple times, and then they ran out of the bar. During this period, other people in the bar had run for safety,” the source narrated.

Chimezie was said to have been found unresponsive and confirmed dead on the spot.

The source added that the killing might be connected to cult-related activities.

The development adds to the growing number of violent attacks and killings involving Nigerians in South Africa, many of which have been linked to drug and cult clashes.

A short video shared by Naija Confra, a platform known for exposing cult-related incidents, showed the deceased lying face down inside the bar.

According to the platform, the deceased reportedly moved from Johannesburg to Durban, where he secured a job at a bar in an area called Phoenix.

When contacted on Sunday, the President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA), Mr Smart Nwobi, confirmed the incident.

He said efforts were ongoing to collaborate with South African authorities to curb gang-related killings in the country.

“Indeed, we are aware. We have been collaborating with the South African law enforcement to bring an end to the gang-related attacks and killings,” he said.

Mr Nwobi further explained that although such incidents occur occasionally, Durban had witnessed most of them.

When asked if any arrests had been made, he said, “None so far.”

PUNCH Metro reported in July that two Nigerians identified simply as Austin and Ayo were also shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Durban.

It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering three, stormed Austin’s office around 8 p.m. and, upon gaining entry, shot both men on the spot.