Police officers ‘lied’ on oath at inquest into death of suspect in detention

wo police officers made statements found to be
false.
Key police witnesses at the ongoing inquest into the
death of Ademola Adedeji, a distributor who died
in police detention last February, were economical
with the truth when they appeared before the
coroner weeks ago, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
Testimonies gathered during a coroner’s inquest,
which held at the Ikeja police station, Friday,
contradicted those given by police witnesses when
they testified.
The police officers, Philomena Enwerem and David
Egbon, had appeared before Magistrate Tajudeen
Elias, the coroner, to explain their roles in the
death of Mr. Adedeji, 39, who was arrested and
detained for allegedly issuing dud cheques to his
company, Rite Foods Limited.
‘Police lies’
The latest revelations cast fresh layers of
controversy into the death of the sausage rolls
distributor.
During his testimony in November, David Egbon, a
police inspector, said, under oath, that he never
visited the mortuary the night the deceased was
rushed to the hospital from the police station.
“I was in my house at about 2300hrs (11 p.m.),
when I received a call from my office that Ademola
Adedeji developed illness, I immediately took a bike
to the office where I was told that one of the patrol
team rushed him to hospital…
“I visited the cell to find out from other inmate in
the cell what happened, I was told that Mr.
Ademola Adedeji suddenly developed illness and
slumped in the cell, that they immediately alerted
the
officers at the charge room who responded quickly
and took him to the hospital,” Mr. Egbon stated in
his sworn deposition.
Mr. Egbon further said that he was still in the office
when the news filtered in that the suspect had
given up the ghost.
Despite the police officer’s claim that he did not
visit the hospital, a copy of the payment receipt
tendered to the coroner by the mortuary authority
had Mr. Egbon’s name as the payer.
Police submission during the early stages of the
inquest had also pointed that the deceased suffered
a cardiac arrest while in detention.
While submitting a copy of the post mortem
examination conducted four days after Mr.
Adedeji’s death; Francis Faduyile, the pathologist
who conducted the inquest, revealed that the death
was due to asphyxia – lack of Oxygen.
Also, Dr. Faduyile revealed, during his testimony,
that the deceased was ‘Brought In Dead’ – a term
used to describe a patient who had died before
getting to the hospital.
‘Death cells’
During her cross-examination, Ms. Enwerem, a
Deputy Superintendent of Police, described the cell
condition at the Ikeja police station, where the
deceased was locked up, as “the standard of
Nigeria cells.”
Ms. Enwerem also described the cells as “very very
ventilated.”
When the coroner’s team visited the cells at the
Ikeja police station, the rooms were everything but
ventilated.
A central courtyard, measuring 20 feet by 14, feet
leads into five poorly lit rooms that houses inmates.
An opening measuring about 15 inches serve as
window in each of the rooms.
Biodun Alabi, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO,
admitted that overcrowding in the cells could lead
to suffocation.
“Since my arrival, I don’t keep suspects in my cell,
particularly for bailable offences,” said Mr. Alabi,
who replaced the then DPO one month after the
incident.
“The only people here are for capital offences,
pending when they are transferred to Panti (the
State Criminal Investigation Department),” he
added.

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