Police officer Monday Orukpe allegedly assaulted by soldiers in Lagos died of multiple injuries and blunt force trauma – Autopsy reveals
Two autopsies carried out on the late police officer, Monday Orukpe, of the Lagos State Police Command, have revealed that he died of assault, multiple injuries, and blunt force trauma.
Recall that on August 3rd, 2022, some soldiers from Ojo Cantonment allegedly clashed with some police officers over a traffic gridlock disagreement, leading to the death of Orukpe, a police inspector.
The soldiers while on their way to the Military Ordinance school in Ojo allegedly assaulted the police officers managing traffic along the Lagos-Badagry expressway.
The military officers were said to have descended on the officers for causing their coastal bus to stay in traffic.
The autopsies were conducted by the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Nigerian Army Cantonment Medical Centre, Ojo.
The reports were made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by the widow, Favour Orukpe, on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
The autopsy from LASUTH signed on 27th October 2022, by O.O. Onayemi of the Department of Pathology and Forensics revealed that multiple injuries and blunt force trauma caused Mr Orukpe’s death.
Blunt force trauma, also known as non-penetrating trauma, refers to an injury to the body by forceful impact, a fall, or a physical attack with a dull object.
The Nigerian Army’s autopsy report signed by I. Agueze revealed that the primary cause of death was assault, while the secondary cause of death was a head injury.
Mrs Orukpe had alleged that her husband had not been buried because of the delay in the release of the autopsy reports and the Nigerian Army’s investigation report.
She said that though the autopsy reports were now released, the Nigerian Army was yet to release its investigation report to determine who the alleged culprits were.
The Acting Deputy Director in charge of Public Relations at 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Olaniyi Osoba, said the joint committee of the Army and the police investigating the case was still sitting.
Mr Osoba, a major, said the investigating team had gone far in its assignment and was probing all issues surrounding the incident, administratively.
He said the report would be out when the committee concluded its findings.