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 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 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 the CMD claimed to be away to Abuja saying that the autopsy was ready and that a copy was already with the state Police command, while another copy was with the Chief Pathologist at the hospital.

However, the family which was said to have been alarmed at such position, queried why a copy of the autopsy report should be given to the police command without any copy given to the family that ordered the autopsy in the first instance.

Consequently, the family remarks that the CMD now 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.