TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Tengku Faizasyah, confirmed on Thursday, August 12, 2021, that the incident involving the immigration office and a Nigerian diplomat on August 7, 2021, was not related to diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Nigeria.

"We deplored the incident on August 7," said Faizasyah.

Previously on Saturday, August 7, 2021, a video went viral on social media showing qa quarrel between the Nigerian diplomat and an officer of the Class I South Jakarta Immigration Office.

The immigration office denied using excessive force and insisted that the diplomat initially sparked the confrontation and physically attacked an immigration officer personnel as they were heading to the immigration office.

Faizasyah assured that the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Indonesia are not affected by the incident and that the incident was not linked to diplomatic matters between the two countries.

Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria Usra Hendra Harahap said that a meeting has taken place with the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry to discuss the incident. In addition, the Indonesian Law and Human Rights Ministry has conducted an investigation into the incident.

According to the immigration officers, prior to the incident, they had received information about a group of foreign nationals who were allegedly overstaying their visas and are residing at a hotel in South Jakarta. As immigrations personnel arrived at the location, hotel management said the foreign nationals had checked out and moved to an apartment in the same area.

As immigration officers arrived at the apartment, they found one foreign citizen in the lobby, which started the quarrel.

According to the Head of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Jakarta Regional Office Ibnu Chuldun, the foreign citizen refused to show his passport and identification. Immigration officers who were at the location then decided to take him to the immigration office. After a while, the foreign citizen then claimed that he is a Nigerian diplomat working in Indonesia.

TEMPO.CO | SUCI S.