Nigerian residents protest outside embassy in Kuala Lumpur after student dies in custody
- 5 years ago
Nigerian residents protest outside their embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after the death of one of their countrymen while being held in custody.
Thomas Orhions Ewansiha, 34, was arrested along with 19 other Africans during police raids on July 4.
The married-father-of two, who was doing a PhD in the country with a student visa, had initially tried to flee officers. He was detained at an immigration centre but died on July 9 after suffering a seizure.
Protesters were angry about the death and claimed that the embassy was not protecting them from harassment during immigration crackdowns.
Standing outside the Nigerian Embassy on July 10, they waved placards condemning the death of Thomas.
One protester said: ''Our brother, who is valid in Malaysia, died a couple of days ago in Malaysian lockup and the Nigerian embassy refused to listen to the complaints of our representatives.''
The Immigration Department said in a statement that Thomas had been arrested after complaints by neighbours.
They said: "Residents of the apartment had lodged complaints about the presence of foreigners and their misbehaviour. The deceased did not give full cooperation and tried to run when approached by immigration officers.''
Hospital officials later claimed that there were no signs that Thomas had been attacked while in custody.
Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) confirmed today that no physical injuries were discovered on his body.
In a two-page statement, the hospital’s management said a post-mortem was conducted on Thomas after authorities brought him in for an autopsy at 5am on July 9.
The report said: ''The autopsy was conducted at 9am the same day by HCTM’s Forensics Department. Based on precise forensics checks, experts have confirmed and concluded that no signs of physical injuries were found on the deceased.
''A full autopsy report will be made available when all lab test results including toxicology are obtained to determine the cause of death.''
Thomas Orhions Ewansiha, 34, was arrested along with 19 other Africans during police raids on July 4.
The married-father-of two, who was doing a PhD in the country with a student visa, had initially tried to flee officers. He was detained at an immigration centre but died on July 9 after suffering a seizure.
Protesters were angry about the death and claimed that the embassy was not protecting them from harassment during immigration crackdowns.
Standing outside the Nigerian Embassy on July 10, they waved placards condemning the death of Thomas.
One protester said: ''Our brother, who is valid in Malaysia, died a couple of days ago in Malaysian lockup and the Nigerian embassy refused to listen to the complaints of our representatives.''
The Immigration Department said in a statement that Thomas had been arrested after complaints by neighbours.
They said: "Residents of the apartment had lodged complaints about the presence of foreigners and their misbehaviour. The deceased did not give full cooperation and tried to run when approached by immigration officers.''
Hospital officials later claimed that there were no signs that Thomas had been attacked while in custody.
Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) confirmed today that no physical injuries were discovered on his body.
In a two-page statement, the hospital’s management said a post-mortem was conducted on Thomas after authorities brought him in for an autopsy at 5am on July 9.
The report said: ''The autopsy was conducted at 9am the same day by HCTM’s Forensics Department. Based on precise forensics checks, experts have confirmed and concluded that no signs of physical injuries were found on the deceased.
''A full autopsy report will be made available when all lab test results including toxicology are obtained to determine the cause of death.''