According to African Outlook, Olaolu Sunkanmi Femi (aka) Olasunkanmi, a Nigerian student living in Ukraine, got arrested for allegedly defending himself against six teenagers who attacked him. He is facing life imprisonment.
African Outlook states that he defended himself against his assailants with a broken bottle in front of his apartment block on November 5, 2011 in Luhanski, Ukraine.
Witnesses told African Outlook that one of his friends was physically attacked in front of his apartment by four Ukrainian young men and two women while hurling racist slurs on them.
Olasunkanmi would have managed to get up and defend himself with a glass from a broken bottle. “It was while he was defending himself that police arrived at the scene and the Nigerian was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder of five people” a Nigerian embassy staff who has knowledge of the case told African Outlook. The victim thus became an accused in a case which has become famous in Ukraine.
Olasunkanmi has since been remanded in detention by the Ukrainian police. They refuse to take the case to court citing unavailability of the police to get an interpreter for him.
Protest have been organized since. For more info please read African Outlook and other sources.
To raise support for Olasukanmi, a Facebook Page: Let’s Support Olaolu Femi has been opened.