Th young man identified as a 21-year-old Nigerian student Endurance Amalawa and his brother Precious, were wandering through a Ansal Plaza when the phone rang with warnings from a friend, “Hurry home, mobs of Indians are attacking Africans across the area."
The brothers, who came to India to seek better education and work opportunities, rushed out and tried to hail an autorickshaw, just as a mob of Indian men saw them and ran towards them.
The Amalawas ran back inside the mall but dozens of screaming men followed them. Precious Amalawa hid inside a changing room but Endurance got dragged out. They thrashed him with stools, bins, blows, and whatever they could grab. No one tried to help Endurance or stop the attack. One man even took a selfie with the violence in the background.
"They attacked him with bricks, sticks, belts," 23-year-old Precious said on Friday as he sat, still stiff with shock and fear, in their apartment.
Endurance’s body was dotted with medical staples on his temple, his cheek and both arms. Precious’ arms were covered in cuts and bruises from when the mob chased him from his hiding place by shoving sharp objects through the changing room’s thin walls.
The violence started on March 24 when a teenage boy disappeared in Greater Noida, outside New Delhi, and angry relatives claimed he’d been killed by his Nigerian neighbors. A mob of people began searching the area for Africans, with some accusing kidnappers of eating the boy.
The boy returned home Saturday morning. He died later that day of what police said was a drug overdose.
Five men who had been charged with kidnapping and murder were let go within hours because police could find no evidence.
But rumors about cannibalism swirled and mobs began to attack Africans across the suburb. The last attacks were reported Wednesday. There were reports of mobs pulling Africans out of taxi cabs and autorickshaws and assaulting them.
The African Students’ Association in India asked Africans across the capital to remain alert and especially warned those living in Greater Noida from stepping out at all.“All African Students Studying in Greater Noida are hereby instructed to stay at home as the situation remains volatile,” the statement said.
The association has been arranging food and water for African students in Greater Noida as most of them hide at home.
Police say they have arrested five men for attacking the brothers and are searching for others. Police patrols in the area have been increased after Foreign Minister asked that the local government ensure the safety of Greater Noida’s African population.
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