Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Tuesday, reacted to a viral video which captured immigration officials in Indonesia allegedly assaulting a Nigerian diplomat inside a moving car.
In the video, seen by our correspondent, three of the said officials pressed the yet-to-be identified man’s head to the back seat as he shouted “my neck, my neck…I can’t breathe!”
Fani-Kayode, in his reaction, asked the Nigerian Government to “warn” Indonesia to avoid a repeat of such.
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His words on Facebook reads : “A staff of the Nigerian High Commission in Indonesia is brutalised by the Indonesian authorities. This is unacceptable and I wholeheartedly condemn it. Have we no national pride, self-respect and dignity anymore?
“Even the Indonesians have taken us for granted. Try this with a western diplomat and all hell will break loose. I call for a strong and robust reciprocal response from the FG to this outrageous, despicable and disgraceful conduct.
“The Indonesian Ambassador in Nigeria ought to be summoned by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and warned. Our country may not be perfect but it is still our country. No Nigerian deserves to be brutalised in this manner by foreigners anywhere in the world. I weep for my country.”
Reacting to the development on Monday, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the incident as unfortunate.
It also noted that the Indonesian diplomat in Nigeria has apologized on behalf on the Indonesian Government.
“The unfortunate incident is against international law and the Vienna Conventions governing Diplomatic and Consular Relations between states.
“The Nigerian Government has complained strongly to the Government of Indonesia, and the Ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria was summoned by the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“The Ambassador explained what he understood happened and apologised unreservedly on behalf of the Government of Indonesia. The Nigerian Government has sent an official protest to the Government of Indonesia, “ the ministry said in a statement as quoted by Channels Television.
The latest development may lead to a strain on the diplomatic relations between both countries.
Our correspondent gathered from the Indonesian Government’s website that the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. H. Usra Hendra Harahap M.Sc. had on April 12, 2021, visited the Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama to advocate for increased close bilateral relations between both countries.
Specifically, Ambassador Usra urged Onyeama to help eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers on some of the products Indonesia exports to Nigeria.
“Some Indonesian products are still subject to high import duties to Nigeria, such as palm oil at 35%, paper products at 20%, food seasonings at 20%, candles and soap at 35%, and furniture/furniture products at 20%,” he had said.