Nigerian Man Dies In Swiss Police Custody After Violent Arrest

A really disturbing video has been obtained by 9News Nigeria, showing the final moments of a Nigerian man from Awka North in Anambra State, who died following a violent encounter with Swiss police in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Nigerian man, identified as Kelechi, is seen pinned to the street by a Swiss police officer.

The report states that despite Kelechi repeatedly shouting, “You’re hurting me,” the officer continued to forcefully restrain him. The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday night and ended with Kelechi collapsing and dying less than an hour later at a police station.

AFP reported that Swiss prosecutors confirmed the 39-year-old man collapsed while in police custody and died despite emergency resuscitation efforts. The Vaud regional Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a criminal investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.

According to the report, authorities stated that police approached the man in central Lausanne around 9:00 p.m. local time as part of a routine check. They claimed his behaviour raised suspicions of possible drug-related activity. Allegedly, the man fled the scene but was later apprehended after resisting arrest.

“After the situation calmed down, the man was taken to the police station for questioning,” officials were quoted as saying. “During the intervention, he became unwell and died shortly before 10:00 p.m., despite efforts by emergency medical services to revive him.”

The prosecutor’s office has ordered an autopsy and stated that further forensic investigations are underway. Forensic pathologists and crime scene specialists are assisting with the investigation.

This incident is part of a concerning trend of police-related deaths among Black residents in Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Vaud. According to the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS, four Black men have died following police interventions in the region between 2016 and 2021, triggering widespread protests against racism and police brutality.

One of these cases involved Mike Ben Peter, a 39-year-old Nigerian who died in 2018 after a forceful arrest during a drug search near Lausanne railway station.

Pinned face-down by six officers, he suffered a heart attack and died in the hospital hours later. In 2024, a Vaud appeals court upheld the acquittal of the officers, who had been charged with negligent homicide.

Two other deaths involving police shootings were deemed acts of self-defence, while one case remains unresolved.

Kelechi’s death has renewed concerns about systemic racial bias and the use of excessive force by law enforcement in Switzerland. The Nigerian community in Switzerland has launched widespread protests, demanding justice for the young Nigerian man.

Meanwhile, when SaharaReporters reached out to the spokesperson for the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, he said he was not aware of the incident, adding that he had not seen the video.

After SaharaReporters provided him with the video, he described it as “sad and condemnable”.

“Every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” he added.

He promised to follow up on the matter.