The
South African Independent Police Investigative Directorate on Saturday opened
investigation into the death of a Nigerian allegedly in the custody of its
police.
According
to eyewitnesses, the Nigerian national was allegedly suffocated to death by the
police in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, South Africa.
This
led to a massive protest by some members of the Nigerian community outside a
private hospital in Kempton Park.
An
unnamed eyewitness alleged that brutality from the South African police in a
bid to extort money from them was common.
According
to reports monitored on South African news website, eNCA, eyewitnesses said
they saw Kempton Park police officers arrest and suffocate the Nigerian.
Hundreds of police officers were reported to have used rubber bullets to
disperse the angry crowd.
In
a video posted online, some of the aggrieved protesters carried placards and
chanted songs in solidarity with the deceased Nigerian.
One
of the angry protesters claimed he saw the police officer who suffocated the
Nigerian. He said, “We need no more black police…. Is that how the whites
trained them? As professional police, they are supposed to arrest and take the
person to court and allow the law take its course. We need justice in this
country. Mandela fought for peace and justice, but the black police are abusing
it. Take that from me.”
Police
officials, however, claimed that the Nigerian died after he swallowed drugs to
evade arrest.
The
IPID spokesperson, Robbie Raburabu, was quoted as saying the police could not
give details but confirmed that the man died in police custody.
“According
to police officers that were involved, the man was in possession of drugs but
swallowed them before the officers could arrest him. He was convulsing and the
officers rushed him to the nearest hospital to try to save his life but he died
inside a police vehicle. The Nigerian community alleged that the police
officers suffocated the man,” Raburabu said.
The
body of the Nigerian has since been taken for autopsy.
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