News
Family demand for autopsy as son dies in NDLEA custody
Ayogu family allege that son was tortured to death in NDLEA custody,demand autopsy to ascertain cause of death
The family of 29 year old Kenneth Ayogu, a patent medicine dealer at Narayi in Chikun LGA, Kaduna State have raised issues with officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), over the death of their son who died while still in their custody.
The family alleged that he was tortured to death inside the NDLEA cell after he was arrested on October 13th, 2022 on the accusation that he was in possession of pentazocine injection.
The spokesman for the family, Michael Ayogu, 50, a wine dealer who also resides in Kaduna State lamented that even after his brother’s death in their custody, all efforts by the family to get an autopsy had been thwarted by both the police and NDLEA.
While giving details of the incidents that led to the untimely death of his brother to reporters in Lagos, the wine dealer, said the deceased was in his shop when he was arrested by officials of NDLEA on October 13th, 2022 for being in possession of pentazocine injection.
According to him, “on October 17th, 2022, when we got news of his arrest, we went to inquire about the circumstances that led to his arrest only to be told that he died in their custody on October 16, 2022 and his body was deposited in the mortuary by men of NDLEA without even contacting any member of the family.
“When we applied to see the corpse in the mortuary, the officers refused us access with our cell phones to avoid taking photographs of the corpse but we observed that his face was covered with blood.
“We then petitioned through our lawyer, Casmir Ugwoke Esq to the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State requesting for thorough investigation into the sudden death of our brother. We also called for an autopsy to be conducted on the corpse to ascertain what led to his death but both the police and NDLEA have remained adamant to our pleas.
“So, we are confused and don’t know what to do or where to go further after losing the breadwinner of our family in such a gruesome manner.”
NDLEA
In his reaction to the accusations laid at the feet of the NDLEA, the spokesman for the agency, Femi Babafemi stated that: “The late Kenneth was arrested along with his brother and a neighbour over drug offences. They were all in the same cell until he took ill. He was promptly taken to the hospital where he later died.
“If indeed he was tortured by anyone, his brother and neighbour, who were with him in the cell till the day he was taken to the hospital for treatment would have known. In all the meetings between the family and the state command of the agency with the brother in attendance, there was no issue of torture mentioned.
“The family requested for autopsy to be conducted to ascertain the cause of death and the process for that has been ongoing with correspondences between the family and the agency on the modalities for the autopsy. As such, there couldn’t be basis for non release of the corpse,”Babafemi revealed.
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