The Anambra state government has criticized the autopsy result allegedly released by the family of Chidiebere Iloka, wife of Nnewi North Local Government Area Transition Committee chairperson Mbazuluike Iloka.
Ms. Iloka collapsed and died on August 7 after reportedly serving her husband breakfast.
The family of the deceased was said to have rushed to produce the autopsy result that purportedly exonerated Iloka after initially accusing him of being behind the woman’s death.
The government’s position is contained in a circular signed jointly by the state Attorney General, Sylvia Ifemeje, and the state Health Commissioner, Afam Obidike, on Tuesday.
The circular, also signed by the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs, Ifeyinwa Obinabo, was copied to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), usman alkali and the State Police Commissioner, Echeng Echeng.
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State suspended the chairman of the council, Mr. Iloka, who was later arrested by police on allegations that he was responsible for his wife’s death.
How it began
Shortly after Ms. Iloka’s death was made public, her brother, Uchenna Ezenwoye, filed a petition with the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Echeng, alleging that Mr. Iloka “horribly murdered” his wife.
Ezenwoye also claimed that Iloka had threatened to kill his wife and had been beating her “frequently”.
Concerned about the allegations, the government invited the families of Messrs. Iloka and Ezenwoye and ordered an autopsy to be performed on Ms. Iloka’s body to determine the cause of her death.
Both families chose two pathologists each for the test, while the government chose two.
The parties, who met on August 16, agreed that the result of the autopsy would be ready between two and six weeks.
the controversy
However, on August 17, hours after the autopsy process was commissioned, Mr. Ezenwoye, who had raised the alarm about the murder, made a U-turn, claiming that the day before a team of pathologists had performed an autopsy test on Ms. Iloka. .
He stated that the result of the autopsy showed that the deceased was not murdered and that his family had decided to drop the murder charge against Mr. Iloka.
Again, on August 19, two days later, the father of the deceased, Emmanuel Ezenwoye, in a petition to the IGP that was copied to the state government, as well as to the state police, made a similar claim, insisting that her daughter was not beaten by her husband.
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Mr. Ezenwoye, in the petition, asked the IGP to order the “unconditional release” of Mr. Iloka from police custody.
One of the pathologists appointed by the family for a joint autopsy test was said to have released his autopsy result on August 24 without the knowledge of the other pathologists.
The result of the autopsy, it was learned, also stated that the deceased was not murdered.
The Anambra government reacts
But the Anambra state government has disowned the pathologist who released the autopsy result, insisting his findings remained his personal opinion.
He said the government-appointed consulting pathologists have disassociated themselves from that report.
The government also criticized Mr. Ezewonye’s position, which exonerated the suspended president.
“Why the extreme rush to issue a preliminary result or to swear an affidavit, all designed to preempt the final report and thus put pressure on other pathologists on the team?” the government said.