Adeleke: Coroner Threatens to Order Arrest of DPO, OC Homicide

By Ayobami Agboola , Osogbo

The Coroner Inquest set up by Osun State Government to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke on Tuesday threatened to issue bench warrant against the Divisional Police Officer of Dugbe Police station, Osogbo and the OC Homicide for failing to appear before the panel to testify.

It would be recalled that Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi-laoye Tomori, Chief Medical Director (CMD), Biket Hospital, Dr. Adebisi Adenle, Osun West Senatorial Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Yinusa Amobi, Executive Secretary of Ede South, Hon. Johnson Ojo, and the Chief Medical Director of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Prof Akeem Lasisi had on Monday testified before the coroner panel on Monday.

At the sitting, the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital CMD Prof. Akeem Lasisi had testified that the empty ampoules of injections brought by the family member based on his request to know the medical history of the deceased shows that the late Senator was given overdose banned injections.

Lasisi said the DPO of Dugbe Police Station, OC Homicide and the pathologist have in their care the empty ampoules of injection administered to late Senator Adeleke and they took pictures of them”.

The CMD, also told the court that the DPO, OC Homicide were with the pathologists when autopsy examination was being carried on the deceased.

However, at the proceeding on Tuesday, the OC legal of Osogbo Police Command, Mr. Abass Aruna who represented the Commissioner of Police informed the court that the CP was unable to appear in person due to vital official assignment.

According to him, “We are not aware that the coroner has been sitting because we were on official assignment to Abuja and we came on Sunday.

“Truly, we are not aware that the court had been sitting but now that we are aware, we assure the court that tomorrow, the officer concerned would come to testify to what they know as regards the issue we are been called upon.”

Responding, the coroner, Magistrate Ayilara frowned at what he described as insensitivity to the court order, threatening to issue bench warrant against any personalities who fail to appear before the panel.

“The OC homicide and DPO are expected here tomorrow. They need to come and I want to say this that nobody is on trial here. This is not a criminal proceeding. I am not going to stop anybody from going back to his or her house and I won’t force anybody to say what he doesn’t want to say.

“We need facts from police officers, medical doctors and other relevant bodies that are involved at the autopsy exercise most importantly the DPO of Dugbe police Station and OC Homicide.

“By the virtue of the coroner’s law, everybody involves in this exercise must appear to give testimony. And as such, I need the police officer and others to be able to explain to the court that they identified the corpse that is what we need.

“We don’t need forensic man. We have a pathologist from LAUTECH and as such, that will be enough for us. So, for this reason, failure to appear before this coroner inquest panel would be interpreted otherwise because if they don’t come, I will assume that they are deliberately frustrating our efforts.

“We are constrained and we have limited time of three weeks and this is the second week, we want to take all evidence by the end of this week so that I can use the last week to put things together.

“We issued the summon yesterday and they have 48hours to answer, that is why I will fix tomorrow for them.

“As a matter of fact; if the necessary parties are not here tomorrow, we will issue bench warrant against them”, said Ayilara.

He adjourned the case till tomorrow May 17, 2017 for mention.