Condemnation over killing of Nigerian by Swiss police

Switzerland flag

A human rights lawyer and the counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has asked the Federal Government of Nigeria, Swiss authorities, and other international bodies to probe the tragic and controversial killing of Michael Kenechukwu Ekemezie, a 39-year-old Nigerian man from Awka North, Anambra State, who reportedly died after a violent encounter with Swiss police in Lausanne, Switzerland.

A viral video circulating on X (Twitter) shows the moment Ekemezie was pinned to the ground by a Swiss police officer, crying out in pain and shouting, “You’re hurting me.”

In a press statement released on Friday, Ejiofor described the incident as very “sad and unfortunate”, calling for a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the killing, public disclosure of the identities and roles of all officers involved, and immediate suspension and arrest of the officers pending investigation.

Ejiofor lamented the global silence that followed the tragic incident, especially from the international media, since it happened on May 25, saying it is both unacceptable and deeply troubling, suggesting a deliberate effort to downplay or conceal the brutal nature of the killing.

He berated the Swiss authorities for their poor response, saying it has failed to meet the minimum threshold of transparency and urgency required in such egregious cases of state-sanctioned violence.

The press statement read, “It is with profound heartbreak and heavy sense of outrage that we speak on the tragic killing of Mr. Michael Kenechukwu Ekemezie, a Nigerian citizen and an indigene of Anambra State, who was fatally assaulted by officers of the Swiss police in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 25, 2025.

“Ekemezie had lived in Switzerland for over a decade, working hard like many others to pursue a better life. But on that day, his life was cut short in a brutal encounter with law enforcement. This encounter bears chilling similarities to the infamous murder of George Floyd in the United States, exactly five years earlier.