I Begged for My Life When They Pointed a Gun at Me — Nigerian Returnee’s Harrowing Xenophobia Ordeal

I am Lucky Otoikhila, a 49-year-old from Edo State. I lived in South Africa for 11 years, facing repeated xenophobic attacks and even surviving a gun threat in 2017. Despite legal documents, I cried and knelt down begging for my life when they said Nigerians had no place there. I returned under the presidential evacuation program and came back home free of fear. Now I am farming on a sixteen-and-a-half-acre oil palm plantation in Afuze, Owan East LGA. I am pleading with the government to support returnees with resources so we can build legitimate businesses rather than resort to risky trades abroad. I love Nigeria’s freedom, where no one stops me on the road to check my papers. Our country is blessed with resources and opportunities. I urge fellow Nigerians abroad to come home and unlock the promise we once sought elsewhere.

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