Adeleke’s death: Osun Deputy Gov, others appear before coroner panel

The Osun Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori,  on Monday appeared before the coroner  panel set up by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, to probe the death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke.

Laoye-Tomori, who arrived the courtroom at around 10:35a.m., said she waived her immunity to appear before the coroner to give evidence because of the importance of the probe.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a coroner’s inquest is an inquiry into the manner and cause of an individual’s death, conducted by a coroner or deputy coroner with a court reporter and six jurors present.

The jurors are citizens of the county in which the death took place.

NAN also reports that former Gov.Babtunde Fashola of Lagos set up a coroner’s inquest to unravel the causes of death of more than 100 people during the Dana air crash that happened on June3, 2012 in Iju area of the state.

Deputy Gov. Laoye-Tomori and the late Adeleke were said to have sat side by side each other at the burial of the grandmother of Mr Amobi Akintola , the APC Senatorial Chairman in Osun West Senatorial District  on April 22.

She tendered her manifest for April 22 as an exhibit before the coroner chairman, Mr Olusegun  Ayilara.

Laoye-Tomori told the coroner that she decided to sit beside Adeleke  at the event because of the humility exhibited by him by receiving her when she alighted from her car.

She said the man who initially sat next to the late Adeleke vacated his seat for her.

Meanwhile, the chairman of APC in Osun West Senatorial District, Mr Amobi Akintola, told the panel that late Adeleke did not eat any food at the burial of his grandmother on April 22.

Akintola said this while giving evidence before the coroner.

He said the late senator attended the burial ceremony in company with about 30 political aides and allies.

Akintola said that those who came with Adeleke ate but he (Adeleke) did not eat any of the foods served there.

He told the coroner that he served Adelekea bottle of Remmy Martins, an alcoholic wine, but the senator brought his own bottle of Remmy Martins from his vehicle which he and his friends drank.

Also, Dr Adebisi Adenle, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Biket Hospital, Osogbo, also said that Adeleke was brought to his hospital dead on April 23.

Adenle said that Adeleke was brought to his hospital around 10:15a.m., and he pronounced him dead.

He told the coroner that he asked the family to take the corpse to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital morgue because his hospital did not have a mortuary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Aregbesola, had on May 2, signed an executive order setting up a coroner inquest into the sudden death of Adeleke.

Adeleke, 62, who died on April 23, was representing Osun West Senatorial District at the Senate under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC).

Adeleke was also the first civilian governor of Osun between January 1992 and November 1993 on the platform of defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Meanwhile, the Adeleke family had said that none of them would appear before the coroner panel to testify.

Mr Deji Adeleke, the immediate younger brother of the deceased, said this at a news conference on May 7, in Ede, the Adeleke’s hometown.

He alleged that the outcome of the inquest had been predetermined.