Indonesian, Ibnu Chuldun, the head of Jakarta Law and Human Rights Agency has sought to explain the seething diplomatic face-off between his country and Nigeria.
Recall that on Saturday a video showing three immigration officials rough handling Nigeria’s diplomat, Abdulrahman Ibrahim, inside a car went viral on social media.
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From the video, one of the officials was fiercely pressing Ibrahim’s neck to a car seat as he kept shouting, ‘My neck’, ‘I can’t breathe’.
The video has been generating outrage among Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora since then.
However, speaking on the matter, Ibnu, claimed that the Nigerian national assaulted an immigration officer as he was being taken to immigration headquarters.
According to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Ibnu alleged in a statement that the Nigerian diplomat attacked the official.
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He said, “The Nigerian national was taken to the immigration office as he was being uncooperative and challenged officers checking his documents to arrest him.”
Ibnu said that an immigration officer sustained injuries in the incident; bruising and a split lip that was verified in a medical report.
The report claimed that after the assault, other officers moved to restrain the Nigerian national.
They said the incident resulted from information regarding a group of foreign nationals suspected of having expired visas staying at a hotel in South Jakarta. And Immigration officers conducted a visit to the hotel as the foreign nationals were suspected of planning a party on Saturday afternoon. And the hotel management informed the officers that the group had checked out and moved to an apartment in South Jakarta.
The report said their officials arrived at the apartment and found a foreign national in the lobby area.
“When our officers asked for the foreign national’s passport and identity, he was belligerent and refused to hand over the documents.
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“He also insulted the officers and challenged them to arrest him. As he was uncooperative, officers detained him and took him to the immigration office,” Ibnu said.
“During the ride, the foreign national assaulted our officers so they were forced to restrain him.
“He was shouting throughout the trip and upon arrival at the immigration office, even though our officers did not act violently.
“Upon interrogation, he said he was a diplomat and produced a diplomatic card belonging to the Nigerian Embassy.”
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Ibnu hoped the clarification could set straight several accusations the immigration office has received.
According to The Jakarta Post, the incident has also been resolved peacefully after Nigerian Ambassador to Indonesia Ari Usman Ogah visited the South Jakarta Immigration Office in the evening alongside officers from the Jakarta Police’s Vital Object Security division.
They said that after the mediation process and hearing the accounts from both sides, the officer and foreign national admitted to a misunderstanding and agreed to solve the matter peacefully, with the Nigerian Ambassador and South Jakarta Immigration officials acting as witnesses.
“This incident did not have to happen had the foreign national been cooperative and open with his status as a diplomat. We hope that this explanation will also clear accusations against our officers that have been making the rounds on social media,” he said.
©ControlTV2021.
