A Nigerian man has died in the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency said on Monday.

ICE said Anthony Oluseye Akinyemi, 56, might have strangled himself to death at the Worcester County Jail in Snow Hill, Maryland.

He was found dead on Saturday morning.

“The preliminary cause of death appears to be self-inflicted strangulation; however, the case is currently under investigation,” ICE said in a statement.

Akinyemi was arrested on Friday. His death was, at least, eighth in ICE custody this year and the second to be ruled a suicide within a week

Akinyemi travelled to the United States legally in December 2017 on a non-immigrant visa. But ICE said he violated his terms of admission into the country, having been arrested for sexual abuse of a minor in July.

He was convicted in Baltimore City Circuit Court for a sex offence and assault.

“Consistent with the agency’s protocols, the appropriate agencies have been notified about the death, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility.

Additionally, ICE has notified the Nigerian Consulate and Mr Akinyemi’s next of kin,” the agency said.

“ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases.

“Fatalities in ICE custody, statistically, are exceedingly rare and occur at a fraction of the national average for the U.S. detained population.” (The Guardian)

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