A Nigerian man died Tuesday in Indonesia’s West Jakarta Immigration Detention Centre. Local authorities suspect the man died of a heart attack after a violent incident at the facility.
According to an administrator at the facility, KC (the man’s initials), 35, and several other Nigerian inmates refused to be transported between cells on Tuesday afternoon.
“The cell transfer descended into chaos, so officers halted the process and eventually used persuasive means on the detainees to move them,” Immigration Directorate General Spokesman Arya Pradhana Anggakara told reporters.
“After they were moved, officers found that detainee (KC) looked exhausted, and he was taken to a nearby hospital.”
KC was declared dead when he arrived at the hospital. His exact cause of death has yet to be established.
Arya said that KC’s wife, an Indonesian native, informed authorities that her husband had a history of hypertension and cardiac issues, which most likely precipitated a heart attack during Tuesday’s commotion. When KC was brought to the correctional institution in August, his medical history was also presented.
Officials have not revealed if KC had committed any additional breaches other than violating the conditions of his stay permit, as is typical of most detentions at immigration-run facilities.
According to Arya, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Usman Ari Ogah, will meet with immigration authorities to address the detention of Nigerian residents in the country.
Nigerian residents without legal stay permits have long been the subject of arrests by Indonesian immigration officers, sparking claims of institutional prejudice towards Black foreigners.
