The head of Nigeria’s diaspora commission has demanded an investigation into the death last week of a Nigerian asylum seeker in Zürich.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Diaspora Affairs, condemned what she called the inhuman treatment of Nigerian citizens after an unidentified 29-year-old male Nigerian collapsed and died Wednesday while being deported from Switzerland to Lagos.
It has been reported that authorities said the deceased man was denied asylum because he was involved in trading illegal drugs. The man had gone on a hunger strike several days before to persuade the Swiss authorities to rescind his deportation order.
Dabiri-Erewa said the committee had accepted the Swiss Ambassador’s apology regarding the man’s death and promise to fully investigate the incident.
“The committee also notes the decision of the Swiss government to cancel all deportation flights until the incident is fully investigated,” she said.
Further reports indicate that the man died at Zürich Airport minutes before he and about 15 other asylum seekers were scheduled to be deported on a flight to Lagos.
The man was handcuffed and being led to the plane when he collapsed. A doctor tried unsuccessfully to revive him.
Officials subsequently cancelled the flight and have suspended future deportation flights while the investigation into the man’s death continues.
Two Nigerian witnesses quoted by a Swiss news website accused the police of inhumane treatment.
“They treated us like animals,” said one witness. “They shackled our feet, knees, hands, hips, arms and torso and made us wear a helmet like those worn by boxers. It was simply impossible to move.”
News reports note that the asylum seeker’s death was the third such fatality in Switzerland since 1999.
