Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have killed an unidentified member of the public during a protest in Lagos on Tuesday, September 3, 2019.

The protesters laid siege on an outlet of Shoprite in the Jakande area of Lagos to protest against recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.

South African mobs had launched attacks on foreigners, including Nigerians, and looted and burnt their places of business in suburbs of Johannesburg and surrounding areas on Sunday, September 1, 2019, and Monday, September 2.

The attacks have angered many Nigerians who have called for a boycott of South African businesses, like Shoprite, operating in Nigeria.

When the protest kicked off with disruptive activities inside Shoprite on Tuesday, police officers soon arrived on the scene and locked it, forcing protesters outside.

Some of the protesters were filmed burning tyres and disrupting activities on the Lekki-Epe Expressway while also crowding the entrance of Shoprite.

In the bid to disperse the crowd, officers shot live bullets at the crowd and the unidentified man was hit and died on the scene.

A Police vehicle was also burnt by the protesters while hoodlums were accused of hijacking the protest to destroy properties in the area and rob passers by.

South African Police arrest almost 200 suspects

Nigerians have battled xenophobic attacks in South Africa for years, with at least 127 believed to have been killed over the past three years.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) disclosed on Tuesday that five people were killed in the recent spate of violence, although their nationalities were not revealed.

A total of 189 arrests have also been effected since Sunday for criminal acts including public violence, malicious damage to property, and theft. 

The Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, assured members of the public that no unlawful activities will be tolerated.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the attacks and called for unity. 

"The people of our country want to live in harmony; whatever concerns or grievances we may have, we need to handle them in a democratic way. 

"There can be no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries," he said.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a special envoy to South Africa to express his displeasure with the fresh attacks.