The family's spokesman, Michael Ayogu, 50, a wine dealer also in Kaduna state, bemoaned the fact that despite his brother's death occurring while in their care, all efforts the family has made to have an autopsy performed have been thwarted by both the police and NDLEA, further adding to their grief.
The wine merchant from Amahor-Uwenu, Okpuje in Nsukka LGA of Enugu state described the heinous incident that caused his brother's premature death to reporters in Lagos. He said the dead was in his shop when he was detained by NDLEA agents on October 13, 2022 for having pentazocine injection.
According to him, on the 17th of October, 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 the 16th of October, 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 brutal and sudden death of our brother. We also called for autopsy examination 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.
“We also petitioned NDLEA over the issue but they refused to respond to our plight and rather ceased the lifeless body of our son who was settled last four years after his apprenticeship and he started his legitimate business in earnest.
“When we met with the police officer in charge of homicide section, they invited NDLEA but they did not respond. We then met the pathologist in charge of the autopsy section the doctor said he can’t do anything until the corona form was filled and that the form cannot be signed by the magistrate until the picture of that lifeless body is attached to the corona form and we don’t have access to the corpse. So, we are confused and don’t know what to do or where to go further after losing the bread winner of our family in such a gruesome manner.
"He is the eldest son out of seven, and he was the only one caring for his elderly parents and other family members. Just watch how his life was taken from him without a trial. He bemoaned in tears, "What happens to all his dependents.
He wasn't tortured by us, NDLEA
The late Kenneth was detained together with his brother and neighbor for narcotics offenses, according to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi. Up until his illness, they were all housed in the same cell. He was quickly sent to the hospital, where he passed away.
In all the meetings between the family and the state command of the agency with the brother in attendance, the issue of torture was never brought up. If he had been tortured by anyone, his brother and neighbor who were with him in the cell until the day he was taken to the hospital for treatment would have known about it.
The procedure for that has been underway with correspondences between the family and the agency on the modalities for the autopsy. "The family requested that an autopsy be conducted to determine the cause of death. Therefore, there could be no reason for the corpse to not be released.
