Diplomat Assault: Indonesia Formally Apologises To Nigeria

 By Olayemi Esan with Agency Report
Indonesia has formally apologised over the manhandling of a Nigerian diplomat in the South-East Asia country.
A viral of video of an accredited Nigerian diplomat, Mr. Mohammed Buba being rough-handled by Indonesian immigration officials, had surfaced online earlier, prompting Nigeria to threaten to review its relationship with the country.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the incident on August 7th,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah was reportedly quoted by the Associated Press on Thursday.
“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,” the Indonesian Ministry spokesperson said.
Faizasyah added that Indonesia has launched a formal investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier condemned the incident which took place on Saturday and rejected earlier apology from the country as insufficient.
The most populous African nation also demanded proportional sanctions against the culprits while recalling its Ambassador from the country amidst pledge to review bilateral relations between the two countries.
The viral video of the event shows at least three men in a vehicle assaulting the Mr Buba and ignoring his screams of pain.
While two of the men held his hands and pinned him down in the backseat, another freely assaulted his unprotected head as he cried out in pain.
“The unfortunate incident is against international law and the Vienna Conventions governing Diplomatic and Consular Relations between states,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.