HOW did a Nigerian student, Matthew Ajibade die in police custody in the United States (US)? This is the poser the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) wants the US to answer. The 22-year-old Nigerian studying in the US died, last week, in an isolation cell of the Savannah Police Station in Georgia.
According to reports, the late Matthew was said to be suffering from bipolar disorder (mood swing) and died after being locked up by two Sheriff’s deputies with whom he had a scuffle.
NANS alleged foul play on the student’s death, demanding explanation from the US. In a statement signed by NANS’ Vice President (External Affairs), Comrade Oluwatosin Ogunkuade, the students’ body condemned the circumstance that led to Matthew’s death, accusing the US police of maltreating the Nigerian.
NANS said reports by American media showed the US police were aware of the deceased’s health condition as at the time he was arrested. The body insisted that the late Matthew should have been taken to the hospital for attention, rather than being locked up by two Sheriff’s deputies with whom he had a scuffle.
Ogunkuade said: “The attitude of United States police was totally condemnable as the late Matthew was reported to have been placed in an isolated cell, not minding his medical condition. From the reports by American media, we can deduce that the late student was a subject of maltreatment.”
He said NANS demanded a thorough investigation and comprehensive report from the US on the cause of the death of the Nigerian. Ogunkuade threatened to mobilise students to picket the United States Embassy in Nigeria if the American government did not investigate the matter.
The NANS leader said it would negate natural justice if the outcome of the investigation is not fair. He called on Nigerian government to rise to the challenge of Nigerian students being maltreated in foreign countries in their quest to get quality education. Ogunkuade said Matthew’s death presented the tragic picture of what many Nigerians face abroad.
The late Matthew was reported to have been arrested for battery, after the police were informed of a domestic violence against the deceased’s girlfriend.
When officers arrived at the scene, the late Matthew was said to be holding his girlfriend tightly, covering themselves with a blanket.
It was alleged that the girlfriend had a bruise on her face and her nose bleeding. The police reports stated that when an officer tried to separate them, the deceased “started to resist apprehension in a violent manner, and was taken to the ground, so that he could be handcuffed.”
The late Matthew’s girlfriend reportedly informed police of his medical condition, handing them a container labeled Divalproex, which contained pills for bipolar disorder or seizure.
Authorities say the deceased was placed in an isolation cell because “he became combative with deputies while being booked and his behaviour was deemed dangerous.”
The late Matthew was born in Lagos but moved to the US to study Computer Science at Savannah Technical College.
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