The family of a late musician, Daniel Ikeaguchi, has accused the police in Rivers State of forcing him to pay for the autopsy conducted on his son.
The father of the deceased, Dominic, said this at a media briefing called by the Rivers State civil society organisations in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Dominic expressed sadness that the family was made to pay for the autopsy conducted at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, even when the police had admitted that his son was killed by their men.
He stated, “I paid for the autopsy. Before I paid for it, I asked the pathologist in the presence of the police officers, who took us there, who the owner of the result was?
“He said it was the police. I said then why was I paying for it? He replied that that was the system. I paid N100,000 for the autopsy. I also paid transport fare for the policemen from the command headquarters and back after the autopsy.
“The mortuary attendants demanded N10,000 from me probably to take care of my son’s body and I recorded other expenses. That day alone, I spent almost N200,000.”
He lamented that despite picking up the bills, the autopsy result was not given to him, only for the police to ask him to apply for it through a lawyer.
The Chairman of the civil society organisations, Enefaa Georgewill, condemned the alleged extortion by the police and called for the immediate arraignment of the policeman, who shot Daniel, and the four other policemen fingered in the incident in order for trial to begin.
“We wonder why the police are still delaying the trial in court in the name of orderly room trial for over three weeks now. By now, they ought to have arraigned their men. The facts speak for themselves; the issues are clear; the videos are there. Daniel was shot unarmed,” he said.
PUNCH
