A Nigerian man dies controversially in police custody, a few hours after his arrest in Austria

Kingsley Chinagorom Echeta (31), from Imo State Nigeria who has an 11 months old daughter has painfully died a very debatable death in police custody in Vienna, Austria.



Ms. Patricia Urbanek sorrowfully narrated the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of her partner and father of her 11 months old daughter, who she had planned to get married with in October. She strongly believes that the death of Kingsley had not been a natural one.

“I called my husband-to-be on Monday (22.06.2015) around 8pm, and he did not pick. I was still trying till 10pm. I called again around 10:30pm, and one of his phones was switched off. I said okay maybe he was busy and would call me back. In the morning I tried again and the two phones were now off. I was worried because he does not behave like that unless when the police arrest him because of documents.

“On Thursday I went to Landesgericht (regional court) to find out if he was there, and if I could see him. They told me that he had been there but that they had already released him, and that he was out. That means he was not dead, so I went home and was waiting for him to come home. I tried to call him and his phones were still off. I waited and he did not come home. On Friday I went to the police station in Rudolfstiftung in 3rd district. I told them there that I was looking for my boyfriend, since Monday his phones had been off, and he had never come home and that I was worried about him too much. They asked me what kind of relationship that was if I did not know where my boyfriend was since Monday. I told them that, how would I know if I had not heard from him and had been looking for him. I told them that I had got a letter from the ambulance that they had taken him to hospital on Tuesday morning around 4am. They told me to wait.

“They made calls and called me in after about 30 minutes. They asked me to sit down and call my mother. They told me that my boyfriend had stopped breathing and had died on Tuesday, and would not tell me exactly when he had died on Tuesday, but that he was dead.

we went to see his dead body and to know what had happened to him. I saw that he had a fresh open wound on his left eye, and his mouth was “swollen up. Somewhere around his neck was also open, and I don’t know what that could be. It looked like he was sleeping.



“I would like him to be buried in Nigeria because his biggest happiness was to see his mother, his father and his family. He has not seen them for almost seven years. He said if we get married, and he gets his documents we would go to Nigeria to see them. So I know that his mother would like him to be in Nigeria. I want him to meet his family and be with his family. I will miss him here, but I will like him to be with his family, as he would wish it,” she sadly said with tears.

Nigerian communities in Vienna, Austria are painfully in grief and they are boiling.

When our reporter who is also a Nigerian went to the house of Ms. Urbanek’s mother in Rennweg for this interview the reactions of the 11 months Naomi Adaeze Echeta to him clearly showed how she had missed her father.

What is the official police report?

We will bring you the details of our investigation, reactions of the Nigerian Embassy in Vienna, Austria and Nigerians in Austria.