No physical injuries found on Nigerian who died in Immigration custody

PETALING JAYA: A forensic examination found no physical injuries on the body of Nigerian national Thomas Orhions Ewansiha.

“Based on a thorough forensics examination on the deceased, our forensic specialists confirm that there are no physical injuries on the deceased’s body," said Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz in a statement on Tuesday (July 16).

"The full post-mortem report will be released when all lab results - including a toxicology report - are obtained to determine the exact cause of death," it added.

The hospital said that Ewansiha was already dead when the ambulance arrived at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot on July 9, adding that his body was then brought to the hospital at 5am.

Ewansiha's post-mortem was then conducted at 9am on the same day. 

In the statement, the hospital said it had received a call from the emergency call centre at 12.08am on July 9. 

“The caller said that an individual that is under custody was suffering from convulsions and was unconscious.

"An ambulance from the hospital was dispatched at 12.10am and arrived at the Immigration Department’s lock-up at 12.30am,” the statement read. 

Ewansiha was one of 20 foreigners detained in an operation led by the Immigration Department on July 4 at Desa Aman Puri in Kuala Lumpur. 

Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud had clarified that the department had treated Ewansiha and other detainees according to its standard operating procedures. 

Ewansiha, 33, was a student pursuing a PhD in Management at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology. 

His death sparked a protest outside the Nigerian High Commission on July 11.