Autopsy Reveals 29 Holes on Agbeyegbe's Corpse
By Ndubuisi Francis
Indications that foremost aviation activist, Capt. Jerry Agbeyegbe may not have died from an auto crash as claimed by the police emerged yesterday when an autopsy conducted on the deceased showed 29 holes arising from gunshots.
The autopsy conducted at the Eko Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday evening by a consultant pathologist from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, College of Medicine, Dr. Izegbu Matthew Chukwuma, showed that the lungs of the dead pilot was affected by the bullets.
The pellets recovered from the body of the pilot are also to be subjected to forensic ballistic investigations, possibly by police ballistic experts. Some family members, colleagues and friends of the late pilot as well as some journalists were at the Eko Hospital yesterday as at the time the autopsy was being conducted.
Amid this development, the police yesterday issued a statement reiterating that its men found Agbeyegbe's corpse at the scene of an auto crash, advising the press to refrain from "speculations and await meaningful progress in the investigation of the incident".
The statement signed by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Israel Ajao, said on October 12 at about 0305 hours, a loud bang was heard at the Oworonsoki/Alapere Expressway, Lagos.
"The police were attracted to the scene where they met a lone fatal motor accident involving Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe as his BMW saloon car, silver colour, with reg. No. DB 244 EKY crashed into a culvert along the road. Found in the car was a young lady, Miss Juliet Okonkwo in her late twenties. She was unhurt inside the vehicle.
"On interrogation, Miss Juliet Okonkwo volunteered information to the effect that Capt. Jerry picked her up at about 0230 hrs, at Sanusi Fafunwa Street, Victoria Island and headed straight to Alapere, Ketu through the Third Mainland Bridge. She claimed that she slept off during the journey until she was woken up by the loud bang caused by the accident.
"The call girl has made useful statement to the police. She is now in police custody while the body of the Airline Pilot had been deposited in the morgue for autopsy," Ajao said in the statement.
The Police Commissioner stated that he, alongside two Deputy Commissioners of Police, Operations and Investigations as well as the Area Commander 'H', Ogudu and other senior police officers visited the scene of the 'accident'.
He added that his team interviewed the girl in question and also thoroughly inspected the car, "especially, the hole found on the right side of the windscreen".
"In view of this, the State Criminal Investigation Department SCID, Panti has taken over the case for a discreet investigation of the incident with a view to examining the relationship between the hole on the windscreen, the accident story and the death of the captain. It is pertinent to point out that what was reported to the police was a case of accident", the statement added.
Police stated that the girl in question was in the vehicle during the whole episode from Victoria Island through Third Mainland Bridge to Alapere where Agabeyegbe met his death.
The police noted that the girl is alive and under police custody as "her evidence is very vital in this case as she is assisting in the investigations".
Meanwhile reactions have continued to trail Agbeyegbe's death, particularly from the aviation industry.
Executives of the Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI) which he founded and was the Executive Director until his death Tuesday morning assured that they would put everything at their disposal to unravel the cause of his death.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of NASI, Capt. Dung Pam, and the Deputy Executive Director, Engr. E. Offiong, who addressed newsmen at the airport yesterday said "while his (Agbeyegbe's) body has been subdued, his soul has been liberated to a realm of safety that can never be compromised and his ideology has now become immortal".
While expressing gratitude for the support showered on the family of the deceased and NASI by sympathizers, the officials of NASI particularly thanked "journalists, associates, aviation and aviation-related non-governmental organisations, professional associations of pilots, engineers and air traffic controllers and members of the general public
"The level of inquiries, emotions and commiserations were so overwhelming that we know that indeed Capt Jerry has made an indelible impact in aviation safety and the hearts of Nigerians.
"We wish also to thank the Nigerian Police for their spirited efforts in this unfortunate event. We hereby call on the Inspector General of Police and the Police High Command to treat this as a national tragedy. We know that a lot of questions are being asked as to the events surrounding Jerry's death. We believe that the Nigeria Police are competent in the pursuant of their duties and urge all and sundry to support them in their investigations."
Also, yesterday, the Aviation Unions Grand Alliance (AUGA) faulted police claim that the deceased died in an accident.
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