Nigerian asylum seeker who died at UK detention centre asked for medical attention but was ignored

NIGERIAN immigration detainee Oscar Okwurime who died in his cell at the Harmondsworth removal centre in London last week was apparently feeling unwell but was denied medical attention by the authorities.

Mr Okwurime, 34, died at Harmondsworth on Thursday this week but the cause of his death is not yet known. Home Office officials have revealed that the police, the coroner and the prisons and probation ombudsman were investigating the matter to ascertain the cause of his death, which was sudden.

However, Mr Okwurime's older brother identified as Alex, said that his sibling had told the authorities at the centre that he was feeling unwell but he was not provided with medical attention. Apparently, Mr Okwurime told his siblings that he was feeling unwell during his first week in the removal centre.

Alex said:  “I told him straight away to tell the authorities there and they will get you checked. That first week, they didn’t do anything and the second week he said they were still saying nothing.

"The last time I saw him, he told me he was on a waiting list of about 400. He said he was feeling pain in his side and he hadn’t had any health issues before.

“It was a pure case of negligence. If someone is in your custody and telling you they’re not feeling well, it’s your duty of care to get them checked.”

According to Alex, before his brother’s death he had been detained for around three weeks when he entered the UK on a visitor’s visa and told the authorities he wished to seek asylum. Alex added that any time he is alone, he in tears and he does not know what to do.