The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is raising questions over the mysterious death of Matthew Ajibade, a 22-year-old Nigerian student who lost his life last week in an isolation cell of the Savannah jail, Georgia, USA.
Ajibade was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and he was in the United States studying Computer Science at Savannah Technical College.
He was an artist, whose creative flair led him to pursuits in fashion photography and designing of T-Shirts. He had his own print design company called AFIDALE.
According to reports, Ajibade, who was said to be suffering from bipolar disorder, died after being locked up in an isolation cell after a scuffle with two Sheriff’s deputies at the Savannah police station.
NANS, in a statement signed in Abuja by its Vice-President (External Affairs), Comrade Oluwatosin Ogunkuade, condemned the circumstance that led to Ajibade’s death and demanded to know what actually went wrong before his death.
The association accused the United States’ police officers of maltreating Ajibade, noting that the police were aware of his health condition as at the time he was arrested.
NANS insisted that the late Ajibade should have been taken to the hospital for proper medical attention, instead of jail.
“The attitude of United States’ Police in Georgia was totally condemnable as Ajibade was reported to have been placed in an isolated cell, not minding his medical condition; and we can deduce that he was subjected to maltreatment.
“NANS, of over 45 million Nigerian students schooling at home and diaspora, demand, as a matter of urgency, an investigation and comprehensive report from Georgia Bureau of investigation and United States on the cause of the death of our young talented Nigerian,” Ogunkuade lamented.
The student body said that it would moblise Nigerian students to stage a protest to the US embassy if investigation is delayed or lacks fairness.
Ogunkuade, however, noted that it would be a shame and a mark of disrespect to global justice if the outcome of the investigation is not fair enough.
He also called on the Nigerian government to rise to the challenge and come to the rescue of innocent Nigerian students who suffer untold hardships in foreign countries in their quest to get quality education, stressing that Ajibade’s case has once again presented the tragic picture of what many Nigerian students are faced with.
The late Ajibade was reported to have been arrested for battery, after the police were called over for domestic violence.
Reports have it that it was Ajibade’s girlfriend who called the police, and when they arrived; she told them he needed to go to the hospital. However, a preliminary incident report on the arrest states that neither Ajibade nor his girlfriend requested to be taken to the hospital.
Hameed Muritala
(UNILORIN)
When officers arrived at the scene, Ajibade was said to be standing with his girlfriend, and holding her tightly. They both had a blanket over their heads.
The girlfriend subsequently removed the blanket when authorities arrived, and when she did so, her face appeared to be bruised and her nose was bleeding, police allege.
The police report also states that when an officer tried to pull them apart, Ajibade “started to resist apprehension in a violent manner, and was taken to the ground, so that he could be handcuffed.”
Ajibade’s girlfriend reportedly informed police of his medical condition, handing them a bottle labeled Divalproex, that contained pills. The drug is usually used to treat certain types of bipolar disorder or seizures.
Authorities say he was placed in an isolation cell because “he became combative with deputies while being booked and his behaviour was deemed dangerous.”
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