The family of the late Emeka Okedinachi, who allegedly died as a result of assault and injuries inflicted on him by police officers may have rejected an autopsy report released by the Delta State Police Command on the case.

The Command, relying on an autopsy report, claimed that its officers did not assault the deceased and were therefore not responsible for his death.
[ad]
On November 14, 2024, Okedinachi and his friends were stopped by men without uniforms at the Ogbe-Osowe quarters in Asaba, Delta State but didn’t stop for fear that they could be kidnappers.

It was alleged that the officers cornered the group, and started shooting in the air.

The deceased’s girlfriend ran to her house, and people who wanted to help were unable to do so due to the shooting, while police officers were allegedly using wood on them.

His brother, Kevin said he didn’t know what happened until the next morning.

He said: “I saw him with a bandaged head and when I asked him what happened, he told me that he was hit on the head with a gun by police officers. The officers after doing this took him to hospital and got his head bandaged. They took his phone too.”

Following the death of Okedinachi on November 14, 2024, it was alleged that the Police were responsible for his death.

The Command on November 29, 2024, assured members of the public and concerned family members of the deceased that the Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has ordered an immediate investigation with the assurance that if police officers were found to be culpable, they will be punished.
[ad]
According to the spokesperson for the Command, Bright Edafe, the CP as promised, ensured that a discreet investigation was carried out, which necessitated the conduct of an autopsy.

Edafe said the autopsy was carried out by two pathologists, one of which was brought by the family of the deceased on December 7, 2024.

“The command wishes to inform members of the public that the autopsy report is finally out and as promised, the command wishes to inform members of the public of the outcome.

“The cause of death as revealed was hypertensive heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension complicated by pharmacological agents as indicated in the toxicology report which includes a concentration of hard drugs such as tramadol, Morphine, Opium, Diazepine, Amitriptyline, and Ethyl Alcohol.

“It is on this note that the CP therefore advises parents, wards, and particularly the youths to stay away from drug abuse as it is seen in this case.

“Abusing hard drugs is dangerous to the heart and could lead to untimely death,” he said.

The police, however, failed to address the alleged assault, shootings, and injuries inflicted on the deceased as it concluded its investigation.

Also, the command did not reveal the names or ranks of the officers involved in the operation.

While the police stated that Okedinachi died from hypertension complications, the deceased’s brother, Kevin Okedinachi, stressed that the family is still in shock over the death of their brother and would respond at the appropriate time.

When asked about the assault yesterday, Edafe said the Police never assaulted him.

“He was running away from the police and he also wrote in his statement that he ran into his compound and hit his head on a ‘wall fence’.

“After his death, his brother who is now making noise on social media confirmed that his brother told him that he ran away from the police.

“I guess Kevin is looking for traffic on Facebook calling us out that the Police killed his brother.

“The boy died 13 days after the incident and he only died from a heart attack and he was hypertensive due to the drugs he was taking.

“We are looking for Kevin so he can explain to the court how the police killed his brother. He would go for five years imprisonment for cyberstalking if he can’t provide any evidence,” he added.
[ad]