Xenophobia: Shoprite, MTN, Multichoice resume business
Business activities have resumed at various firms owned by South African nationals in Lagos.
According to The Nation correspondents who went to Lekki, Surulere, Mushin, Agege, Ogba, Ikeja, among others, observed that many of the outlets opened for business.
At the Shoprite centre in Lekki, business went on as it did before the reprisal attacks following the xenophobic attacks on African residents in South Africa. Nigerians were among those targeted.
Some Multichoice offices at Agege were, however, not open for business.
PEP at Ogba is back with customers engaging in shopping.
At Bode Thomas in Surulere, the DSTV was also open for business; a staff also confirmed they resumed work nationwide on Sunday.
He said some branches reopened on Saturday, but stressed that by Sunday morning all branches had reopened.
Although the office was looking well set and activities going on smoothly, the workers told our reporter that hoodlums last week went away with some television sets and damaged some valuables.
“Those hoodlums entered, scattered the whole place, damaged our air conditioner outside, forcefully removed one of the television on the slab and smashed it on the floor. We all ran for our lives. The police later came and chased them away.
“We are back now, activities have commenced, you are safe here,” he said.
Our reporter observed that the PEP shop and the two MTN offices on Bode Thomas Road were not open. The hoodlums looted the place and damaged things in the shops.
At Shoprite in Surulere, activities have reopened, but our reporter observed that some shops were still locked.
A guard said activities resumed yesterday.
He said only three shops were affected inlast week crisis.
“Those boys destroyed a shop thatsells clothes and the woman that owns the shop just loaded her shop with new clothingbefore the incident.
The other shops sell different brands of phones, while thethird deals in different electronics,” he said.
He said those people that did not open their shops were either still scared of the incident or did not get the information that normalcy has been restored.
“Police are here, they have been here since morning, they only moved to the side of the mall shortly because of the intensity of the sun. This place is safe,” he said.
At Mushin in Lagos, the DSTV office was opened.
One of the workers told our reporter that activities resumed on Monday.