The Nigerian consul, Y.D. Farouk, when called by The STAR for an interview, initially said this reporter should ask the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation about the cases of two Nigerian detainees allegedly being maltreated by jail authorities.
The consul then inquired how a diplomatic beat reporter got hold of the Embassy’s note verbale and was told it was from news sources.
After a few minutes, the consul started complaining why a confidential document was leaked to the press.
"What kind of country is this? How did you get the official document? I think you stole it. You stole it. You can’t get it if you did not steal it," the consul said in a loud voice over the phone.
The consul could not believe there were news sources who provide media people with information and insisted the document was stolen.
In a note verbale dated Oct. 30, the Nigerian government strongly protested the alleged abuses committed against its two nationals who have been in detention for almost one and a half years now.
The Embassy said Nigerian detainees Emmanuel Udenze and Segun Omoswaiye were usually subjected to molestation, assault and maltreatment by authorities at the Bicutan Deportation Detention Center.
During a recent consular visit to the center, an Embassy official learned that the detainees, whenever they would complain, were denied food and thrown into solitary confinement in a two square meter room without ventilation , facing a huge refuse dump.
The Nigerian Embassy claimed Udenze was smashed with a big stone by detention authorities, causing injury to his face and that he was not taken to the hospital or adequately treated.
Instead, Udenze was given eight stitches on the forehead without any medical check-up to determine if there were internal injuries requiring further medication, the note verbale read.
"The Embassy wishes to request the immediate intervention of the esteemed department to resolve this matter. The Embassy appeals that the detention authorities should desist, forthwith, from the violation of human rights of the Nigerian detainees," the note said.
Also, the Embassy requested that Udenze be given an adequate medical check-up for internal injuries and proper treatment.
"In compliance with existing consular diplomatic practice, the detainees should be deported immediately since they have been held in custody for almost one and a half years, the authorities have no charges against them to warrant trial and the detainees already have their plane tickets," the note verbale read.
The Nigerians were arrested for overstaying.
The DFA assured the Nigerian Embassy it had coordinated with the Department of Justice and the matter would be investigated.