The Indonesian government has formally apologised to the Federal Government of Nigeria over the manhandling of a Nigerian diplomat in the South-East Asia country.
A video that went viral last weekend showed two Indonesian Immigration officers manhandling an accredited Nigerian diplomat, Mohammed Buba.
While two of the officials held his hands and pinned him down in the backseat, another freely assaulted his unprotected head as he cried out in pain.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, while reacting to the development, demanded an unreserved apology for the Indonesian government and threatened to review Nigeria’s relationship with the country.
The Federal government also announced the recall of the Nigerian Ambassador to Indonesia, Usman Ogar, due to the ugly incident.
Apologising on behalf of his country, the spokesperson of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the incident on August 7th.
”This is an isolated incident, and is in no way related to the commitment of the Indonesian government in carrying out its obligations as host country or in accordance with the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations.”
Before now, Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation, had called on the Nigerian Government to, without further delay, reciprocate the brutalisation of a staff of the Nigerian High Commission by Indonesian authorities.
Fani-Kayode tweeted, “A Staff of the Nigerian High Commission in Indonesia is brutalised by the authorities.
“This is unacceptable and I condemn it. Have we no national pride, self-respect & dignity? Even the Indonesians take us for granted. Try this with a western diplomat & all hell will break loose.
“I call for a strong & robust reciprocal response from the FG to this outrageous, despicable & disgraceful conduct.
“The Indonesian Ambassador in Nigeria ought to be summoned by the Minister of Foreign Affairs & warned. Our country may not be perfect but it is still our country.
“No Nigerian deserves to be brutalised in this manner by foreigners anywhere in the world. I weep for my country.”
Reacting to the incident, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Odeh, described the attack as a violation of the Vienna Convention, adding that it was too early to know the reciprocal action the FG would take.
He stated, “The (Foreign Affairs) minister has already come out firing from the hip; so, the Indonesians know they need to do the needful because what their officials have done against the Nigerian foreign service officer is antithetical to the letter and spirit of the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic and Consular Rules of 1961 which state expressly that the person of a diplomat is inviolable.
“For them to subject the diplomat to such act is against the letter and spirit of that convention which is essentially the bible of diplomacy.
”Nigeria is treading cautiously by calling for a marching intervention of the Indonesian authorities or else, Nigeria may be compelled to take measures.”
