LAGOS — A LETTER purportedly written by the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Lagos State, stopping the release of the body of the late Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe yesterday threw the spanners into his burial arrangement.
Although the state Police Command and the Force Headquarters promptly disowned the letter, the Agbeyegbes are not convinced and want the letter formally withdrawn by whoever issued it in the first instance.
Captain Agbeyegbe who was shot dead on October 12, at about 03.50hrs at Alapere area, Ketu, Lagos is supposed to be laid to rest on Friday at Ekurede, Warri, and when his family went to Eko Hospital, Ikeja, yesterday, to collect his corpse they were told there was an order from the police that it should not be released.
The non-release of the corpse was based on an undated letter signed by an “Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Richard Oaney” and addressed to the hospital’s authorities.
It says: “Please, be informed that the corpse of Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe, male, must not be released to anybody without the knowledge of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Panti who is investigating the case. He need (sic) a pathologist from a government hospital to examine the body, please.
By order Richard Oaney
The letter was written on a plain sheet of paper.
When contacted on phone, the State Police spokesman, Mr. Emmanuel Ighodalo, said he was not aware of the development. A top police officer at the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba who craved anonymity told Vanguard: “It is not true. What are we doing with the body again? There is no single policeman at the hospital. We learnt that the brother of the late pilot went to the hospital and he was rude to the attendants and that was why they disagreed and could not carry the body.
“I am assuring you that no policeman from Panti went to the hospital and our Deputy Commissioner did not give such directive. Tell the family to go to the hospital and if they see any policeman, they should lynch him.”
Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Oyeleye, who was also contacted on phone told Vanguard: “I don’t think it is true. Nobody gave such an order from here (Abuja). If the PPRO and officers in Panti said it is not true, it is not true. I don’t think anybody did that.”
Mr. Fred Agbeyegbe, brother of the late Jerry, told Vanguard on phone that those he sent to the hospital to collect the body were not allowed to do so. Asked what the family would now do, Mr Agbeyegbe said: “This is a new situation. We have not taken any decision yet.”
And told that the police disclaimed the letter and that the family were free to collect the body, he said: “We can’t do that. Somebody wrote that letter, let them withdraw it first, because without that the hospital will not release it.”
