Posted by By UBONG UKPONG, Abuja on
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, on Thursday said that the late Edo State Commissioner for Information, Calus Enoma, died of natural causes.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, on Thursday said that the late Edo State Commissioner for Information, Calus Enoma, died of natural causes.
But, the younger brother to the deceased, Cornelius Enoma, cried foul, faulting the entire processes that brought about the autopsy report.
The IGP said at a press conference, in Abuja, that following the sudden death of Calus Enoma, he ordered a high powered investigation into the incident with a view to unravelling the cause of death.
Consequently, an autopsy was carried out by some pathologists from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and one from the Police at the instance of the Edo State Government and the deceased's family representatives, including his personal physician, in a bid to also unravel the cause of his death.
'The autopsy result just released by the pathologists shows that Hon. Calus Enoma died as a result of severe respiratory tract infection with acute cardiorespiratory failure.
The report also reveals that there was no evidence of trauma, nor of poisoning," the IGP stated.
He disclosed that police investigation into the case showed that the deceased 'went into the hotel with a female friend and without any luggage."
Okiro further said that during interrogations, the lady, whose name the police withheld, disclosed that while alone with the deceased in the hotel room, he suddenly began to gasp for air and passed on, though she tried in vain to revive him.
But speaking on behalf of his family, Cornelius Enoma, younger brother to the deceased, said the names listed as family representatives 'are just witnesses to the sample of the autopsy report. The autopsy was not conducted here.
The state governor told us that the autopsy report was taken to Lagos where none of the family representatives were. And he brought the report and they were supposed to tell us this was what happened, whether we accept the result or not. They' re pumping the result on us."
Stating that prior to the press conference, the family never saw the report, Cornelius, stressed that the family was just seeing the result for the first time. 'Even, none of the medical team, none of the medical doctors had seen the result."
The late Commissioner for Information was earlier reported missing, but later found dead on March 29, 2008, in a room at the Precious Palm Royal Hotel at Ugbowo area of Benin, Edo State.