The South African Police Service (SAPS) have confirmed the arrest of eight Nigerians for allegedly attacking police officers in Kimberley, Northern Cape, and damaging their vehicles.

A SAPS statement issued on Friday by Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, said the arrest was a welcome development, while condemning the behaviour of the suspects and warning that anyone who prevented polcie from doing their duty would face severe consequences.

“We will not allow such lawless behaviour, we are processing the suspects and working with Home Affairs to determine if they are legally or illegally in the country.

“Police will continue to stamp the authority of the state in the Northern Cape Province.” Otola said.

A police source said at the time of the arrest, police found one of the Nigerians to be in possession of drugs, and while they were conducting a search, they were attacked by a large group of Nigerians.

“Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. One suspect was arrested for illegal possession of drugs, and three suspects were arrested for public violence and detained at Kimberley Police Station,” a senior police officer at the Kimberley Station, Colonel Cherelle Ehlers, told journalists.

“During processing, the suspects broke windows at the station. Additional charges of malicious damage to property were added.

“Another group of Nigerians later approached the Police Station and threatened to retaliate. The Operational Commander warned the group to disperse.

“However, upon dispersing, the group damaged police vehicles. Another four suspects were arrested for malicious damage to property,” Ehlers said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given reasons why it advised Nigeria to end the fuel subsidy regime which it said was akin to robbing the poor for the rich.

The Director of the African Department of the IMF, Abebe Selassie, who disclosed this at the ongoing Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington DC, said removing fuel subsidies in Nigeria was for the benefit of the ordinary Nigerians and a way of revamping the country’s battered economy.

According to Selassie, the IMF had also provided the Nigerian government with a robust content on how the poor could benefit from the policy in the provision of social safety nets.

“Subsidies are about resource allocation internally within Nigeria. So Nigerians, the people of Nigeria pay for these subsidies,” the Fund chief said.

“And what’s the reason why we counsel against such generalised subsidies is very simple. It tends to be highly regressive, meaning the benefits of such you know, fuel subsidies tend to accrue to the rich and segments to reach out to people and the poor people.

“So it’s people that are driving these large cars, with big houses are wanting to see subsidised fuel. They’re the ones benefiting relative to the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria.

“So you know, not only people paying for the subsidies Nigeria, it’s the poorest segments of society that actually are losing out and resources could instead, of course, be used to improve conditions for poorer people instead of accruing to rich people.

“That’s why subsidy reform is important. We applaud the government for the steps government took to reduce the extent of subsidies. I think as oil prices have become volatile, the level of subsidy has also moved up and down.

“But I think you know, the direction of travel, I think, to remove the subsidies and use the resources to provide social protection for the most vulnerable households.”

Selassie however, cautioned African countries against commercial loans for the purposes of refinancing because of the current rate hike in most economies.

He advised that instead, countries South of the Sahara that have debt service challenges should look inward for domestic resource mobilization, which would be easier to deal with.