Nigerian man dies during police arrest in South Africa

South African authorities have launched an investigation into the death of a Nigerian man who collapsed while being arrested by police in Cape Town, as concerns grow over the treatment of foreign nationals in the country.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the body responsible for overseeing police conduct, said preliminary post-mortem findings showed that 42-year-old Ibeh Chika Simon “sustained multiple bruises and abrasions on his back and chest.”

According to Western Cape police, Simon died after becoming unwell while officers attempted to arrest him during an operation.

In a statement, police said Simon died while he “was being placed under arrest [as] he allegedly became unwell and collapsed”.

The incident has drawn a strong reaction from Nigerian officials, with the country’s Consul General in Johannesburg, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, condemning the circumstances surrounding his death.

She said Nigeria was “deeply appalled by reports of the egregious police tactics that led to his death”.

Okey-Uche called for a “transparent” investigation and alleged that there was “an alarming pattern of unresolved extrajudicial killings/deaths and unacceptable misconduct against foreign nationals”.

She added: “Suspects are entitled to due process in a court of law; no authority should be above it”.

The diplomat also said there were reports that another Nigerian, Egwabor Patrick Chuks, was shot during the same police operation and remained in hospital with serious injuries. However, Western Cape police said there was “no record of the incident”.

Police spokesperson Col Andre Traut said officers had been conducting a search at a residence in Cape Town when they discovered an unlicensed firearm and suspected drugs.

As officers moved to arrest Simon, he “collapsed”. Paramedics were called to the scene, where he was later “declared deceased at the scene”.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry also expressed concern over the incident.

Speaking to the BBC, the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, described the incident as “a very unfortunate situation”.

IPID has confirmed it is investigating the circumstances surrounding Simon’s death.

South Africa’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration also confirmed during a public briefing that the matter is under investigation.

Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the committee, said that during the police operation in Cape Town last Thursday “some foreign nationals… were resisting law enforcement operations”.

Simon is the second Nigerian whose death is being investigated following a police operation in recent months.

In June, Nigeria’s foreign ministry reported the death of Emeka Charles Iroegbu, who also allegedly died at the hands of South African police. That case is also being investigated by IPID.

The latest incident comes amid growing diplomatic tensions between South Africa and several West African countries over allegations that African migrants, particularly Nigerians, have been targeted in xenophobic attacks.

Relations have also become strained between South Africa and Ghana after claims that a Ghanaian national was killed during anti-migrant protests, allegations South African authorities have denied.

Ghana has repatriated some of its citizens from South Africa, while two Ghanaian nationals have petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged attacks on migrants, arguing there has been a “pattern of widespread and systematic attacks” that could amount to crimes against humanity.

The South African government has dismissed the petition as “opportunistic”, insisting it does not meet the ICC’s legal threshold and maintaining that its courts are capable of handling such cases.

Last week, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned reported attacks on African migrants in South Africa after Nigeria and Ghana raised the issue during a summit in Sierra Leone. They urged South African authorities to take swift action to protect foreign nationals.

South Africa has maintained that it “categorically reject[s] xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and intolerance and discrimination in all their manifestations”. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also acknowledged concerns over migration while urging citizens not to take the law into their own hands.

Vanguard News