A Sapele High Court has ordered the Nigeria Police to exhume corpse of late Mr. Samson Efe for the purpose of conducting a joint post mortem examination.
It will be recalled that Late Mr. Samson Efe, a Mechanic, aged 41 years and a father of four was on Saturday, the 12th day of November 2016 arrested by Policemen/Detectives of the Anti-kidnap Section attached to the State CID, Asaba, Delta State but slumped and died in Police Cell at the State CID, Asaba on the 18th day of November, 2016 after complaining to his father, Chief Lucky Efe Oseahweke who visited him at the said Police Station on Monday, the 14th day of November, 2016 of severe torture being meted out on him by his Police captors.
The Delta Police Command without informing the father of the deceased went ahead to conduct a one sided autopsy on the corpse of the deceased and then came out with a result that the said deceased died of a heart attack. The Police nor their pathologist are yet to inform the family of the deceased what induced the said heart attack of the late Samson Efe who was arrested in Sapele, hale and hearty.
Immediately after the said autopsy, the deceased was buried by the Police in an unknown place, hence the family of the deceased, commenced a law suit at the High Court, Sapele in Suit No: S/6/2017 CHIEF LUCKY EFE OSEAHWEKE VS. INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE & 2 ORS, claiming the sum of N100,000,00.00 (One hundred Million naira) as damages.
On Tuesday, the 14th day of March, 2017 the High Court No. 1, Sapele presided over by His Lordship Honourable Justice A.O. Omamogho having listened to arguments in support of a Motion on Notice dated and filed on 25th January, 2017 by O.J. Okoroze-Egbo (Mrs) of Counsel from the office of IKIMI OGHENEJABOR & CO., ordered as follows:
Upon the Motion on Notice dated 25th January, 2017 and filed unto this Honourable Court to Wit:
“…….. as counsel may be heard on behalf of the Claimant/Applicant praying this Honourable Court for the following orders:
- An order of this Honourable Court on the Defendants/Respondents to exhume the corpse of the late Mr. Samson Efe for the identification of the Claimant/Applicant and his pathologist pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
- An order of this Honourable Court on the Defendants/Respondents to produce the exhumed corpse of the late Mr. Samson Efe for a joint post mortem examination with the Claimant/Applicant’s hired pathologist pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
- An order of this Honourable Court on the Defendants/Respondents to handover the said corpse of the late Mr. Samson Efe to the Claimant/Applicant for proper burial after the conduct of the said joint post mortem examination pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Coming up for hearing and determination before His Lordship Honourable Justice A.O. Omamogho-Judge sitting at High Court 1, Sapele in Sapele Judicial Division on Tuesday, the 14th day of March, 2017. The Applicant present, the Respondents absent. O.J. Okoroze-Egbo (Mrs) for the Applicant.
Having heard O.J. Okoroze-Egbo of Counsel for the Applicant, Court hereby order as follows:
“……. I herein order as prayed”.
We hope that the Inspector General of Police and the other Defendants/Respondents in this suit would obey the above order of Court as failure to so do, we shall not hesitate to commence contempt proceedings against the trio of Defendants i.e the Inspector General of Police, the Delta State Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State CID, Asaba.
