Police order autopsy after cop’s mysterious death in Ondo
The Ondo State Police Command has ordered an autopsy on one of its men, Yusuf Blessing, who reportedly died under mysterious circumstances in the Akotogbo community, Irele Local Government Area of the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, who gave the order on Friday, said the exercise would unravel the circumstances surrounding Blessing’s death.
Controversy arose in the family of the deceased policeman over the cause of his death, following the earlier report by the police that Blessing drowned in a river.
The family was said to have discovered that the deceased was burnt to death as some marks were seen on his body when his corpse was brought to his residence in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
A family source narrated that the body of the deceased was sealed in a coffin but the family and well-wishers demanded to see the remains.
However, the three officers who accompanied the corpse, allegedly refused to open it and later ran away, abandoning the coffin and the vehicle in front of the family house.
“Upon opening the coffin, the body was found burnt with a cracked skull, contradicting the initial claim that he drowned which further raised suspicions of foul play.”
In a statement issued on Friday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, on Friday, the CP gave an order that an autopsy must be carried out to clarify the cause of the death.
The statement read, “Considering the outcry and allegation of foul play by the family of late Inspector Yusuf Suleiman Blessing and public concern over his death, the Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, ordered that autopsy be carried out on the allegation.
“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 that search party should trace his whereabouts, as he was last seen wearing a blue vest and a green tracksuit trousers.
“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 with his cloth intact on his body with no trace of any injury or mark of violence except a swollen observed in the centre of his head.”
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, conveying 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,” the statement added.
