KANYI Dyantyi will not have the wedding she was looking forward to after her Nigerian-born fiancé died while in police custody in Cape Town earlier this month

Obinna Ugboaja's death has sparked the ire of the Nigerian community who marched to parliament on Friday demanding an end to police brutality against foreigners.

March organisers, the Nigerian Union in the Western Cape and Frontline Africa, argued that Nigerians were being targeted for brutal treatment by the police. They said in most cases brutality was swept under the carpet because of the false assumption that all Nigerians were criminals.

According to the Independent Complaints Directorate 2011/2012 annual report, 932 people died in police custody or as a result of police action.

The Nigerian Union wants the death of 32-year-old Ugboaja to be investigated and has opened a case at Cape Town Central police station. While police said they were investigating his death, grief- stricken Dyantyi, who met Ugboaja five years ago, remains in the dark about what led to his death.

"I really don't know exactly what happened. They took me to the mortuary where I found my husband dead. His mouth and neck were full of blood and he had marks on his neck, like he had been held hard.

"They said he had overdosed on cocaine. He didn't even smoke cigarettes."

Dyantyi said Ugboaja - who was a computer technician at First Coast Technologies and had been living in South Africa for seven years - left their Brooklyn home on the night of January 6 to meet friends in town.

She started worrying when he didn't come home and his phone went unanswered. After notifying his brother, Dyantyi took their one-year-old daughter to the police station where his car was parked.

But she was sent away with no answers.

"I waited for almost two-and-a-half hours. My baby was screaming. I didn't even know he was dead. They didn't tell me," she said.

When she returned the next morning, she was taken to the mortuary.

"Next year at Easter we were supposed to go to Nigeria to marry. His family is waiting. I don't work and I don't even know how we are going to pay to bury him," she said.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesman Moses Dlamini said the matter was being investigated.

"If someone dies in police custody then we investigate," he said.

Azubuike Okparaugo, president of the Nigerian Union in the Western Cape, said it was irrelevant whether Ugboaja had been rightfully arrested or not.

"We were not marching to protest his innocence or his guilt. If he is guilty take him to court and give him a maximum sentence. Police are not the court of law," Okparaugo said, adding that the police conduct in Ugboaja's death should be investigated.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said an inquest docket has been opened into Ugboaja's death and the directorate was investigating the case.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/01/21/dream-wedding-plan-in-ruins-after-death-in-police-custody

I can't live in SA for the life of me. The place seems to volatile especially against foreigners.

Another sad story for d family and friends of d deceased.RIP to d poor young man

So far only 3 media establishment covered this but with some murky headlines,Etv, Sowetanlive( Nigerians up in arms) and timeslive (dream wedding ended in tragedy),depriving the general public from voicing out.Obviously the Nigerian national was MURDURED by law enforcement agents but painting the picture of a drug dealer,in order to gain probable support from the public.
Also,the headlines were purposely posted in such way it won't point to murder nor to attract much international attention.
Its sad and very sad indeed.

Seems the dude was on a trip to carry cocaine from yankee to SA .. And he was caught ..and maltreated by the SA authourities

The whites stll rule in south Africa

2bad,rest in peace bro!

Na wa oooo

very shockiny

May his soul rest in peace I hate South Africa wit passion I can never live dia even if 4 20million dollars .4th 2 comment sha

Revolva: Seems the dude was on a trip to carry cocaine from yankee to SA .. And he was caught ..and maltreated by the SA authourities

...were u they one who tipped off the police to crack the plans?

Wat a sad stort I watched it on etv news.he wld have sorted d police out on dat spot instead of goin to d station cos d police here are more corrupt than nigeria police.as thy perceive all nigerians as drug pushers!

Revolva: Seems the dude was on a trip to carry cocaine from yankee to SA .. And he was caught ..and maltreated by the SA authourities

Please stop it and stop posting assumptions. FYI all posts here have direct link to google search. The SA media tried as much to stiffle this story with warped headlines and one sides report (from SAPS).If he was "caught as you are alleging,do you suppose the decent protesters would dare hit the strees and protest en masse to the parliament? Or why do you also suppose the few media outfit that covered the story still prevents the public contributions or comment till this very moment??".Don't run the late guy down.

Revolva: Seems the dude was on a trip to carry cocaine from yankee to SA .. And he was caught ..and maltreated by the SA authourities

Please stop it and stop posting assumptions. FYI all posts here have direct link to google search. The SA media tried as much to stiffle this story with warped headlines and one sided report (from SAPS) so it won't become and international issue. If he was "caught" as you are alleging,do you suppose the decent protesters would dare hit the strees and protest en masse to the parliament? Or why do you also suppose the few media outfit that covered the story still prevents the public contributions or comment till this very moment??".Don't run the late guy down.

And his family in Nigeria will be praying everyday for their son.Too bad nwanne! smh...

Rubbish Apartheid bloody Maggots!

South africans with their potatoe head.

Apartheid still rules in SA. Our High commission in SA has to do something about incessant attack and selective arrest of Nigerians in SA. RIP

Choi, SA wont go scot free if a US or UK citizen dies like this in south africa but since is a Nigerian that died lets see how our Government will handle the ish or they will put the blame on the dead guy. Even if he is a criminal he shouldn't be treated this way, what happened to the human rights act?

Revolva: Seems the dude was on a trip to carry cocaine from yankee to SA .. And he was caught ..and maltreated by the SA authourities

EEdiot thats how you ppl give bad name to your fellow Nigerian

I hate south Africans, blacks are still treated as craps and slaves.
Its a pity nigerians still troop in there for God knows what...
RIP to the dead

South africa do not only maltreat other Africans, they maltreat even black south Africans. That's why I tell nigerians that they are so lucky that racism is zero level in nigeria. Its 10 times better to suffer under ur fellow blackman (naija) than to be oppressed and molested in your land by some few foreigners(SA). Its really sad. The problem with naija people is just that once they see a good packaging, they fall for it and disregard their own. At the end of the day they get stranded and realise that 'each to its own problems'. But its always too late at this junction. Smh.

We helped them gain independence now they want to try us as a piece of shit.wen will federal govt show those south africans that they have bitten more than they can chew by sending all of them bak to their country together with their yeye mtn

South Africans calling other people criminals is very rich. SA top every crime index: R*pe, Shooting, murder, killing tourists etc.

They are just jealous of Naija swagger and success, as they are too lazy to work hard and innovate like Naija people.

They are also angry that their daughters are marrying our people left, right and centre.

When a woman sees a hardworker and hustler, she knows it. Anuofia.

I blame our misleaders in Naija for drawing us backwards.

the annoying thing is, they believe all nigerians are crooks, and many of them have not even traveled out of that sh## hoe. only the exposed ones are smart

Abike Dabiri and her team must get to the root of this one ...and 72hours must be given to the SA to bring out the killer coups...or all SA and companies in nigeria should all be given red alert to vacate enuf is enuf from this "FAKE WHITES"...

They are here already in Nigeria enslaving us,find out yourself.

oluwafemim: They are here already in Nigeria enslaving us,find out yourself.

you mean Afrikaans?

The south Africans think they have something too special that no other land in Africa has hence their attitude to foreigners especially other Africans.

They are blind.

ONE OF D WORST PLACES FOR NIGERIANS TO LIVE IN IS SOUTH AFRICA. THE HATRED I STILL IN THEIR BLOOD

So nigerian police self get oga for africa! South africa top us for military top us for police corruption join.
But there may be something hidden surroundin the controversial killing of the guy. Perhaps he engaged in a criminal things himself.