Man Disappears From Police Cell

By Amos Fajinmi

A suspect, Samson Olusegun Adekoya, has reportedly disappeared from police custody.

Disclosing this in Lagos, a non-governmental organisation, Access to Justice (AJ), revealed that Adekoya was last seen on 18 February, 2008.

While the police claimed that the suspect died of an undisclosed ailment, his family claimed that attempts to claim his corpse was frustrated by the police.

Following this, AJ described police claim as untrue and untenable, and urged the Ikeja District coroner to conduct an inquest into the death of the suspect who was arrested by policemen at SARS.

In its prayers before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court, AJ urged the court to order the state Commissioner of Police to produce the body of late Samson Olusegun Adekoya to enable necessary post-mortem examinations be conducted by the office of the Chief Medical Examiner as stipulated by the provisions of the Coroner’s Law of Lagos State, 2007.

It also wants the police commissioner to produce the IPO, identified as Yago, to answer questions as to the whereabouts of Mr. Samson Adekoya since 18 February, 2008, and to explain the circumstances of his death or disappearance. All the prayers of the advocacy group were granted by the court presided by Mrs. Ipaye Nwachukwu. Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned till 29 September.