HUMAN rights lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has called on the Nigerian Government and the Government of Switzerland to launch a thorough investigation into the controversial death of Michael Kenechukwu Ekemezie, a 39-year-old Nigerian man who allegedly died on May 25 following a violent confrontation with Swiss Police in Lausanne.
Ejiofor made the call in a statement released on his X handle late Friday, May 30, describing the incident as very “sad and unfortunate”.
“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” he said.
The ICIR reports that a viral video circulating on X (Twitter) shows the moment the Nigerian who hails from Awka North, Anambra State, was pinned to the ground by a Swiss police officer, crying out in pain and shouting, “You’re hurting me.”
Ejiofor noted that Nigerians and other Africans living in Switzerland had staged protests, demanding accountability, transparency, and justice. However, the Swiss authorities’ response, he said, had been lukewarm.
He criticised the Swiss authorities for their inadequate response, stating that it fell short of the minimum standards of transparency and urgency expected in such “grave cases of state-sanctioned violence.”
Ejiofor demanded a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the killing, the public release of the identities and roles of all officers involved, and the immediate suspension and arrest of those officers pending the outcome of the probe.
“We remember how the world watched in horror on May 25, 2020, when George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was murdered in cold blood – a White police officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down on a street in Minneapolis. His final words/dying cries, his helplessness, and the silence of those around him sparked a global reckoning with racial injustice and police brutality”
“Sadly, history has repeated itself on May 25, 2025. The footage emerging from Lausanne shows Michael, too, handcuffed and pinned face-down, by an officer who used brutal force that proved fatal. His distress was visible. His life could have been saved. But he was left there – ignored, unheard, ultimately lifeless. No attempt was made to help him. He was subjected to lethal force that ultimately led to his death” the lawyer said.
Ejiofor described the poor global coverage, particularly from the international media, as both unacceptable and deeply disturbing, suggesting it may be a deliberate attempt to downplay or conceal the brutality of the killing.
“What is equally painful is not only the brutal manner of Mr. Ekemezie’s death but the deafening silence that has followed it. Unlike the global response that followed George Floyd’s death, the murder of Mr. Ekemezie has received little to no coverage from major international media outlets such as CNN, BBC, or Al Jazeera. Within Nigeria, mainstream media has also largely remained silent” he added.
He stated that after receiving an official briefing from Ekemezie’s family, a legal team promptly initiated efforts to seek justice by submitting a detailed and strongly-worded petition to the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria, demanding the immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of the officers involved in the act.
“We have also formally petitioned the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and other relevant government bodies, demanding prompt diplomatic engagement with the Swiss Government. The life of every Nigerian citizen, whether at home or abroad, must be treated with dignity and protected with resolve.
The ICIR reported that George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in May 2020 after police officers responded to a call that he had used a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store in the city.
The Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, murdered Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes as he begged for his life and repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”
He was found guilty by a jury in April 2021 of second and third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.