Details of a meeting between Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Usra Harahap and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama had emerged.
Harahap had on Monday met with Onyeama, over the assault on a Nigerian diplomat in Jakarta, Indonesian capital, however, the details of the meeting only emerged Friday.
According to a copy of the explanation offered to the Nigerian government by the Indonesian Ambassador and revealed to the press, there were claims that the assaulted Nigerian diplomat was to blame for the incident.
Recall the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had in a statement issued on Monday confirmed that the Indonesian Ambassador was summoned by Onyeama to explain what transpired between the Nigerian diplomat and the Indonesian Immigration officers.
Harahap, during his explanation to the Minister said the immigration officers from South Jakarta Immigration Office were carrying out a routine surveillance checks on foreigners, adding that the Nigerian diplomat was asked to provide his passport and other documents for recognition. However, according to Harahap, the Nigerian diplomat was said to have refused to identify himself or tender his passport.
Speaking further, the Indonesian Ambassador explained that the immigration officials became furious over failure of the diplomat to identify himself as they told him to follow them to their head office.
The Nigerian diplomat, on hearing this was said to have become enraged and said “Just arrest me and you will regret to know who really I am.”
Then the officer reportedly said, “We will not detain you further Sir, if you can show us your identity card.” The Nigerian diplomat was quoted as saying, “Where is your car, I’ll come to your office.”
On their way to the immigration’s head office, the Nigerian diplomat was said to have allegedly elbowed one of the immigration officials who was sitting next to him.
Following the action, the other Indonesian Immigration officers moved to restrain the Nigerian diplomat as contained in the viral video, Harahap told Onyeama.
According to the Indonesian Ambassador, the officers treated him as an ordinary foreigner without any intimidation and didn’t handcuff him, and didn’t hold anything in his body such as cellphones and other stuff that were in his clothes.
“Abdulrahman elbowed the immigration officer, Mr. Laode Hauzan Baidi, who was sitting next to him until Mr. Laode’s lip was bleeding.
“This led to other officers restraining him from attacking another officer during the trip. However, Mr Abdulrahman kept on resisting and shouting until to the point where it required officers to hold and calm him down.
“The officers did this for the sake of security and safety as they were carrying out the Immigration Duties and Functions,” Harahap said.
Harahap further added that it was in the midst of the row that the diplomat shouted he was a staff of the Nigerian embassy, which prompted the immigration officials to leave him.
The Indonesian envoy said the Nigerian diplomat later showed his identity card during the investigation at the head office, adding that the two parties had agreed to resolve the issue amicably.
The August 7 incident had since sparked a diplomatic row between Nigeria and the Indonesian authorities with the Federal Government recalling its Ambassador to Indonesia for consultation, while threatening a review of the bilateral relations between the two nations.
The New Diplomat had also reported that the House of Representatives, retired and serving Nigerian envoys had condemned Indonesian government over the violent behaviour, describing it as a violation of international law and the Vienna conventions governing Diplomatic and Consular Relations between states.
