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The federal government is apparently proceeding with plans to create a watchdog to handle complaints against members of the Canada Border Services Agency.

The pledge comes after Bolante Idowu Alo, 49, died in the custody of agency officers while being deported Aug. 7.

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The Nigerian man was being escorted on a KLM flight headed from Calgary to Amsterdam when a reported altercation forced the plane to return to the gate.

Alo was found in medical distress and rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Civil liberty advocates are calling for an independent probe, but there’s no reason to believe Calgary police homicide detectives can’t handle the investigation in this instance to determine if criminal charges are appropriate. It’s what the police do all the time, after all.

Still, it is unusual that the border agency isn’t subjected to an external body that could provide oversight. In Alberta, for instance, municipal police forces and the RCMP are overseen by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team — a civilian agency responsible for investigating serious matters involving police.