THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017• T H I S D AY
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NEWSXTRA
Adeleke’s Death: Pathologist Rules out Poisoning
Says deceased’s corpse revealed excessive alcohol and overdose of medications Family opts for legal advice over alleged unprofessional conduct of CMD, other doctors Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The pathologist that carried out examination on the corpse of the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Dr Solaja Olufemi, has said there were no traces of
matter. The family at a press conference addressed by the immediate younger brother of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, Dr. Deji Adeleke, noted that the family “put it on record, that based on the high level of unprofessional conduct already displayed by the CMD of LAUTECH, Prof. Akeem Lasisi, the integrity of the yet-to-be-ready autopsy must have been seriously compromised. The family also noted that they requested for the autopsy report after two weeks of which adjournment. the CMD claimed to be away to He nevertheless observed that: Abuja saying that the autopsy “My Lord, we are more anxious was ready and that a copy was than the prosecution to go on already with the state Police with the case. The defendant command, while another copy is willing to defend himself was with the Chief Pathologist and prove his innocence on at the hospital. merit. Any time the exhibit is However, the family which in court, we are ready. But t if was said to have been alarmed you want to strike out the case at such position, queried why I leave that to your discretion” a copy of the autopsy report Justice John Tsoho however, should be given to the police adjourned to May 25 and 26 command without any copy for continuation of trial. given to the family that ordered It will be recalled that Justice the autopsy in the first instance. Ngwuta was among seven Consequently, the family Supreme Court judges that were remarks that the CMD now arrested between October 7 and 8, 2016 after the Department for State Services (DSS) raided their homes in what was termed “a sting operation” In the charges against Justice Ngwuta, the federal government has accused him of giving false information to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) concerning his diplomatic passport with the purpose of procuring another one. He was also accused of giving various cash sums of money above the statutory threshold to his building contractor for the building of various houses in his home-state, Ebonyi State, without going through a financial institution.
poison or heavy metal in the body of the deceased. Also, Adeleke’s family who condemned the contradictory testimonies at the coroner’s inquest yesterday, vowed to take legal action against the ‘unfortunate and unprofessional conduct’ exhibited by the medical practitioner in the
Non-availability of Exhibit Stalls Trial of Justice Ngwuta Alex Enumah in Abuja The ongoing trial of a Supreme Court judge, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, over allegations of corruption at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was yesterday stalled, due to the inability of the prosecution to bring to court exhibit it seek to tender against the defendant. Justice Ngwuta is standing trial on a 13-count amended charges bordering on corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes. He was initially arraigned by the federal government on a 16-count charge, before the charges were amended to 12 and subsequently 13. At the last sitting, the prosecution presented two witnesses before the case was adjourned to yesterday for continuation of trial. But at the resumed trial, prosecuting counsel, Olufunmilayo Fatunde, told the court that exhibit to be presented by the witness was not in court. She pleaded for adjournment to enable them do so at the next sitting. Reacting, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), counsel to the defendant, did not oppose the request for
Civil Society Tasks Bauchi Politicians to Accept Governor’s Reconciliation Move Sunday Okobi A civil society organisation, Coalition of Civil Society and Media Executives for Policy Stability (COCMEP), yesterday lauded the Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, for declaring ceasefire in the political hostility between him and Abuja-based politicians of the state extraction. It therefore called on the latter to embrace the governor’s olive branch and reconciliation gestures for the good and progress of the state. In a statement issued by the Executive Director of COCMEP, Innocent Okadigbo, which was made available to THISDAY yesterday, the CSO stated that peace is a sine qua non for development and
the partnership between the governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who hails from the state is critical in coasting myriads of federal development projects and democracy dividends to the state, and that all should be done to avoid distracting the state governor. According to Okadigbo in the statement, “It is in the best interest of the state for the governor and Dogara to unite so that the Speaker can use such peaceful atmosphere to complement the governor’s development strides by influencing many federal projects for his home state and making the governor to be more focused on serious issues of governance; this is why the governor’s reconciliation gestures are highly commendable.”
changed the story, saying the autopsy was only conducted at the Nigeria Police Forensic lab in Lagos but promised to send a copy to the family which he eventually failed to produce. But the family noted that unknown to them the same CMD had already appeared and testified under oath before the state inquest earlier the same day where he testified that the cause of the sudden death of Adeleke was as a result of “banned injection overdose’ given to him, relying on a third party “hearsay” instead of forensic Toxicology report. However, the family was worried that the CMD deliberately did not disclose to the inquest that the autopsy report was not ready However, Solaja who appeared before the coroner inquest yesterday stated that the police carried out the toxicology examination on the deceased and the result was given to him to read on May 15, 2017. Olufemi, who is the Consultant, Anatomic Pathologist at the LAUTECH hospital, said the pathological examination
carried out on Adeleke’s corpse revealed that the deceased consumed excessive alcohol and was given an over dose of sedative and analgesic medicines. The pathologist who was led in evidence by Mrs. Oyindamola Daramola, a Senior Legal Officer for LAUTECH, explained that histology of the tissues from the body of the deceased was normal except from the heart which showed hypertrophy, adding that the liver showed alcoholic steato-hypatitis. He said: “Death in this case was due to aspiration of gastric content, although the deceased had hypertensive heart disease which could have cause sudden death, but no evidence of such, either grossly or microscopically.” Olufemi tendered a copy of the autopsy report and the court admitted it as exhibit EC3. He informed the coroner that the copy of the toxicology report was not released to him after reading it. The Health Assistant, Mr. Alfred Aderibigbe, who allegedly treated Adeleke when he was complaining of pains was
at the inquest but his evidence was not taken. His counsel, Mr. Lekan Alabi, pleaded with the coroner to adjourn his evidence to Friday, saying that he was just served the summon of the coroner on Tuesday. Alabi explained that due to the psychological trauma his client passed through recently, he was not prepared to give evidence before the coroner. He also requested for an interpreter on the grounds that Aderibigbe would give evidence in Yoruba language. However, the coroner, Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara adjourned the taking of Aderibigbe’s evidence till tomorrow. The Divisional Police Officer, Dugbe Police Station, Osogbo, Mr. Ogunkanmi Gbemileke, also appeared before the coroner, and said he was given the empty ample and vials which he later handed over to OC Homicide for examination. Gbemileke added that specimen taken by the pathologist was given to one CSP Benedict Agbu.
AN ACHIEVER
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), flanked by the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa (left) and Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr. Adebowale Akinsanya (right), during the inauguration of the Abule-Egba Bridge in Lagos....yesterday AbiOdun AjAlA
Obanikoro Denies Benin Ancestry Shola Oyeyipo Against the background of claims by former Works Minister, Chief Femi Okunnu, that he shares a Benin ancestry, former Minister of State for Defence and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Lagos State, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro yesterday denied that his progenitor was from Bini kingdom of Edo State. Obanikoro, a strong aspirant on the platform for the PDP in the last governorship election in
Lagos State said rather than the mis-information, the legendary Obanikoro family in Lagos hails from Awori - Idiluwo-Ile in Ojo local government area of the state. The renowned Lagos politician was caretaker committee chairman, Surulere local government, substantive chairman, Lagos Island local government, former commissioner and senator that represented Lagos Central senatorial district and later he was appointed as minister during the president Goodluck
Jonathan era. Koro, as he is usually called, contended that the narratives of the eminent Lagosian, Chief Okunnu, that Obanikoro was from Benin was wrong, stressing that while he personally had a link with Benin through his paternal great grand mother, who he said hailed from Eletu-Odibo family, “the first Obanikoro was not from Benin.” According to him, “Chief Okunnu said Obanikoro was from Benin. We are not from Benin. We are from Aworiland.
We are from Idiluwo-Ile in Ojo local government. Personally, I have Bini blood. My paternal great grand mother was from Eletu-Odibo family. Eletu-Odibo came with the Oba of Benin to Lagos. She was the daughter of Ogabi Eletu-Odibo. But, Obanikoro was not a Bini man. He was an Awori.” He noted that “the descendants of Chief Obanikoro, among who are Ajayi-Bembe, Ogunlana Arewa, Abisawo Otun, Osadeko, Aregbe and Oyerokun, were conscious of their Awori root.”