PAINFULLY SHOCKING!
NIGERIAN 33 Year old PhD student, THOMAS ORHIONS EWANSIHA Dies of Seizure inside Malaysia Immigration Custody…Battles convulsion in between academic period, earlier arrested as crime suspect on suspicion
* ‘We are awaiting the post-mortem report of Ewansiha, as well as a full medical report to identify the cause of his death’- Khairul Dzaimee, Director-General of the Immigration Department
* ‘Malaysia Immigration officials killed my Husband. They continually maltreated him in their brutish manner to the point of death in Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot’-Wife of the deceased
* Wife lament in tears: ‘Having acquired all educational qualifications, Malaysia Government made my Husband die like a chicken’
BY LURETTA OBEMBE, CRIME CORRESPONDENT reporting from Malaysia
HE WAS THE BREAD WINNER OF HIS FAMILY-A LIGHT OF HOPE TO HIS GENERATION. THOMAS ORHIONS EWANSIHA had his aspiration cut off after he was arrested on suspicion by Malaysian Police and handed over to Malaysian Immigration officials on the pretext of allegedly violating the laws of the country.
Shocking to have heard of the demise of this 34 year old promising Nigerian who died in the custody of that country’s Immigration Department, as further confirmed by the Singapore based television Channel News Asia (CNA). Ewansiha died last week apparently of seizure in his sleep, while in detention at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot.
In his reaction, Director-General of the Immigration Department, Khairul Dzaimee, said that he was still awaiting the post-mortem report of Ewansiha, as well as a full medical report to identify the cause of death.
Dzaimee claimed that Ewansiha was among 20 foreigners picked up in an operation on July 4 at Desa Aman Puri in Kuala Lumpur, following tip-offs from the public and had attempted to flee during the operation but was captured. He later produced his passport and was found to be holding a valid student pass upon further checks.
“The action of the subject in trying to escape created doubts on the validity of the student pass held by the subject,” Dzaimee said. Ewansiha was suspected of committing an offence under the Immigration Act. He was held for 14 days for further investigations, Dzaimee added.
While undergoing the documentation process at the Kuala Lumpur Immigration office, he was provided with basic medical treatment by Civil Defence Force personnel as he had an old wound on his right leg, Dzaimee said. Ewansiha did not inform Immigration officers of any sickness, he said.
The subjects detained in the operation – including Ewansiha – were sent to the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot at about noon the next day. They were treated “appropriately” in accordance to the standard operating procedure (SOP) during detention, Dzaimee said.
At about 12.05am on Jul 9, the officer on duty was informed by the other detainees that Ewansiha “suddenly” had a seizure while sleeping.
“The Special Medical Unit on duty immediately examined and treated the subject and contacted Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) for assistance,” said Dzaimee.
The assistant medical officer – who arrived with the ambulance at 12.30am – examined and assisted Ewansiha, but the student was later pronounced dead. Following the incident, the supervisor and officer on duty lodged a report at the Bukit Jalil police station.
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology said in a statement yesterday that it was informed of Ewansiha’s death. The 33-year-old was pursuing a PhD in Management at the university and is survived by a wife and two children.
‘Malaysia Government killed my Husband’-Wife of deceased
The wife of Ewansiha, has lamented the death of her husband in the Bukit Jalil detention centre earlier this week. In a video currently circulating on the social media, the mournful wife of the deceased who was in tears, wondered why her husband would be treated in such a brutish manner to the point of death.
Obviously filled with sadness as she cried profusely, the wife said having spent all he had acquiring education to PhD level, with right papers he had acquired to justify his stay in Malaysia, her husband was still maltreated by the immigration officers who she said allowed her to die like a chicken.
According to reports, Ewansiha’s death in custody after being detained by Malaysian immigration authorities, sparked protests at the Nigerian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The Immigration Department in a statement issued Friday (July 12) said Thomas Orhions Ewansiha was arrested because he had tried to flee from its officers during a raid on July 4. Despite producing a valid student pass, his attempt to escape led to him being detained for 14 days at the Bukit Jalil depot for further investigations and to verify the authenticity of his documents.
Twenty foreigners were arrested at the raid on apartments in Desa Aman Puri in Kuala Lumpur, which were carried out after the department received reports of African nationals who were suspected of not having valid documents. Local residents had also complained about drug use, prostitution and public intoxication in the area.
The authorities said Ewanshiha died after apparently suffering a seizure while in custody.
“At around 12.05am on July 9, the officers on duty were told by the other detainees that the subject had had a seizure in his sleep,” said Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud in the statement. “Immediate aid and medical checks were conducted and the hospital was contacted to assist as well.”
Medical personnel from Universiti Kebangsaan Hospital arrived at 12.30am to help him, after which Ewanshiha was then pronounced dead. The Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Selangor said it was informed of the death of its student Ewansiha on Thursday.
In a statement on Friday, the private university said Ewansiha, 33, was pursuing his PhD in management, and was married with two young children.
“He was an inspired young man. We offer our condolences to his family and many close friends,” it said. Ewansiha’s death led to a protest on Thursday by a group of Nigerians outside the Nigerian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, which the protesters claimed had not taken responsibility for the welfare of their countrymen in Malaysia.
According to the authorities, checks were conducted on Ewansiha while he was detained and he was administered treatment for an old injury on his thigh. He did not specify any pre-existing medical illnesses, they said.
The Immigration Department is still waiting for a full medical report on the subject, as well as the exact cause of death, via a post-mortem. The police said on Friday they will be increasing their presence at the Nigerian High Commission following the protest.
“KL police will monitor the situation and increase security by performing more patrols in the area. The police will not hesitate to take action in preserving the peace” said city police chief Mazlan Lazim in a statement. He advised Nigerian nationals in the city to obey local laws and not take matters into their own hands.
*Additional reports by The Nation
