On 12 December 2001, 19-year-old Nigerian Michael Paul Nwabuisi, who called himself Achidi John, died during the forced administration of an emetic at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). His hands and feet were bound and the procedure was witnessed by five police officers. The policy of administrating emetics, approved by Hamburgs Minister of Home Affairs, at the time Olaf Scholz, was intended to seize drugs allegedly swallowed by suspected dealers. The European Court of Human Rights categorised this practice as torture in 2006. 90 percent of the people subjected to this procedure were Black. Achidi John's death never went to court and the investigation was closed. Relatives, friends and activists from the Initiative in Memory of Achidi John have been calling for years for a reappraisal of the case and a memorial at the UKE for the victims of the forced administration of emetics.

Achidi John, whose real name was Michael Paul Nwabuisi, grew up in the village of Umuezeala Ndume, around 450 kilometers south-east of the Nigerian metropolis of Lagos. He was one of his six siblings. His father grew cassava sold the roots on the street, but did not earn enough to send all the children to school. In July 2000, Achidi John set off to earn money for his family.