Family alleges foul play over Police Inspector’s death, as Ondo CP orders autopsy
Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, has ordered an autopsy to be conducted on late Inspector Yusuf Suleiman Blessing following outcry by the family.
The family had alleged foul play in his death when his corpse was brought home for burial.
They alleged that they were told that late Yusuf drowned in a river, adding that his corpse was burnt when they opened the coffin.
Ondo police spokesman, Funmilayo Odunlami, in a statement, said the corpse of Yusuf was discovered two days after he went missing.
Odunlami said there were no traces of injury or mark of violence except a swollen observed in the centre of his head.
She said the family rejected the conduct of an autopsy and demanded the body be released for burial.
According to her, “Preliminary investigation revealed that on the 27th of January 2025, towards evening time, no one could give an account of the presence of the late inspector in the station. Immediately the DPO directed a search party to trace his whereabouts, as he was last seen wearing a blue vest and green tracksuit trousers.
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“Two days later the officer in charge of the Police Marine informed the DPO of the discovery of a corpse lying face down in a river. On close observation, it was discovered that the body was that of Inspector Yusuf Suleiman.
“The family of the deceased was informed of the incident and in a bid to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased, the CP directed the state CID to take over the case.
“In the course of investigation, there was a demand for autopsy to be conducted on the body but the family vehemently opposed and rejected the idea, insisting the corpse of the deceased be released for burial, a request granted by the Police.
“As a result of the demand by the family, the body was recovered from the morgue with the police bearing the financial cost, conveyed the remains of the deceased to his home in Akure.
“It is worthy of note that the cloth last seen on the deceased was found intact on his body when his corpse was discovered ruling out any suspicion of arson, as there was no mark of burnt or physical violence on his body.
“Despite Preliminary investigation carried out by the State Criminal Investigation Department establishing a case of Sudden and Unnatural Death with no foul play suspected, the Commissioner of Police has ordered that a full Autopsy be carried out to determine the cause of death in response to the allegation made by the family and for the public interest.”
