By Christopher Oji
Family of Kenneth Ike Ayogu, 29, a patent medicine dealer who allegedly died in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) in Kaduna State has called on the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) to wade into the matter to ensure justice for their late son.
The family is demanding an autopsy to reveal what actually happened to their son while in the custody of NDLEA.
However, the NDLEA has denied torturing the deceased, insisting that the late Ayogu became sick and died while he was undergoing treatment in the hospital.
The deceased, until his death, was a businessman at Narayi in Chikun LGA, Kaduna State. His family alleged that he was tortured to death by officials of NDLEA, while he was under their custody after he was arrested on October 13, 2022 for being in possession of pentazocine injection.
Speaking with Daily Sun in Lagos, spokesman for the family, Mr. Michael Ayogu, 50, a wine dealer, in Kaduna State, alleged that all efforts by the family for an autopsy to be carried out on the deceased were thwarted by both the police and the NDLEA.
Giving details of the ugly incident which led to the untimely death of his brother, the wine dealer, who hails from Amahor-Uwenu, Okpuje, in Nsukka LGA of Enugu State, said the deceased was arrested by officials of the NDLEA on October 13, 2022, in his shop for being in possession of pentazocine injection.
He said: “On October 17, 2022, when we got the news of his arrest, we went to inquire about the circumstances that led to his arrest, only to be told by NDLEA officials that our brother had died in their custody on October 16, 2022, and that his body was deposited in the mortuary by men of NDLEA. We were shocked because no one contacted us.
“When we applied to see the body in the mortuary, the officers refused us access with our phones, to avoid taking photographs of the body, but we observed that his face was covered with blood, meaning that he was tortured to death. Our lawyer, Casmir Ugwoke, petitioned Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, requesting thorough investigation into the sudden death of our brother. We also called for an autopsy to be conducted on the corpse, to ascertain what led to his death, but both the police and NDLEA have been frustrating all efforts to carry out an autopsy on him.
“We also petitioned the NDLEA over the issue, but the agency refused to respond to our plight; rather, they seized the lifeless body of our son. Our son was settled four years after his apprenticeship, and he just started his legitimate business in earnest.
“When we met with the police officer in charge of the homicide section, he invited the NDLEA officials, but they did not respond. We then met the pathologist in charge of the autopsy section, but the doctor said he would not do anything until the corona form was filled, and that the form cannot be signed by the magistrate until the picture of that lifeless body is attached to the corona form and we don’t have access to the body. So, we are confused and don’t know what to do. That is why we are calling on Marwa to give us justice.
However, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, while reacting to the incident, said: “The late Kenneth was arrested alongside his brother and a neighbour, over drug offences. They were all in the same cell until he took ill. He was promptly taken to the hospital, where he later died. If, indeed, he was tortured by anyone, his brother and neighbour, who were with him in the cell till the day he was taken to the hospital for treatment would have known about it, and in all the meetings between the family and the state command of the agency, with the brother in attendance, there was no issue of torture mentioned.
“The family requested for autopsy to be conducted to ascertain the cause of death and the process for that has been ongoing with correspondences between the family and the agency on the modalities for the autopsy. As such, there couldn’t be a basis for non release of the corpse.”