By our Reporter
A Nigerian man, Okenyehike Kelvin Obianke, has pleaded not guilty to biting off part of a police officer’s ear during an arrest in Kuala Lumpur. The 38-year-old private college student appeared in a Malaysian magistrates’ court on Tuesday and was denied bail.
Obianke is accused of attacking Corporal Danielrul Azraq Ahmad Khair, 36, of the Sentul district police mobile patrol unit, during an incident outside a clinic in Metro Prima, Kepong, on April 25 around 10:10 a.m. The charge, filed under Section 325 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a fine if convicted.
Obianke, who was unrepresented in court, claimed the act was not intentional and maintained his innocence.
According to Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, the officer lost part of his left ear after being bitten during an aggressive confrontation. Authorities say the officer had responded to reports of a foreign man acting erratically at the clinic.
Sentul district police chief, ACP Ahmad Sukarno Mohd Zahari, confirmed that doctors at Kuala Lumpur Hospital have not yet reattached the severed ear due to a risk of infection. A surgical decision will follow further medical evaluation.
In a separate proceeding, Obianke also denied charges related to drug use and lacking valid travel documents, alleged to have occurred on April 25 and 26. These fall under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act and Immigration Act.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 10, when legal representation is expected to be appointed.
