The family of the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke has said they are suspicious that the Osun State Government led by Governor Rauf Aregbesola plans to cover up the truth behind the death of the late politician.
A younger brother of the late senator, Dr Deji Adeleke, made the allegation in his address read by a member of the family, Mr Dele Adeleke, at a press conference addressed at the residence of the late politician in Ede on Wednesday.
Adeleke, who was the first governor of Osun State, died on April 23, 2017 and there were rumours that he was poisoned at a social function he attended a day before his death because of his governorship ambition.
The death sparked spontaneous riots and the governor set up a coroner’s inquest to probe the cause. The Consultant Pathologist, Dr Taiwo Sholaja, as well as the Chief Medical Director of the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Prof. Akeem Lasisi, told the coroner that Adeleke died of drug overdose.
The coroner, who is a magistrate, Mr. Olusegun Ayilara, recommended the nurse, Mr Alfred Aderibigbe, who treated the late politician, for prosecution for alleged murder and he was remanded in prison custody upon his arraignment on Friday.
The family stated at the press conference that they were not behind the prosecution of the suspect and wondered why the governor suddenly realised that Aderibigbe must be prosecuted some months to the governorship poll in the state.
Dele, who spoke on behalf of the family, described the prosecution as an attempt to further politicise the death.
Dele said that despite the fact that the family asked the hospital to carry out an autopsy on the body of the late senator, they had not received the autopsy and coroner’s reports.
He said, “Since this widely publicised declaration and recommendation by Magistrate (Olusegun) Ayilara, the indicted nurse has been roaming the streets freely and undisturbed. The government did not consider it necessary or important to make available to the family the detailed report of the autopsy conducted on our late brother as well as the detailed report of the coroner’s inquest. We have had to resort to getting information from the media just like every other member of the public as if we are not a related party.
“The family is concerned about the politicisation of the demise of Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke especially with the timing of this sudden interest in the matter after over a year of inaction on the part of the Osun State Government, more so that the election to change the mantle of leadership of the state is so close. There is also unfounded news in the social media about the family being behind this sudden re-arrest and prosecution of the nurse. This is far from the truth! The family is not involved. There is also a growing suspicion that the recent ‘arrangement’ of the Rauf Aregbesola government is to achieve the ultimate goal of a grand cover-up of the truth behind the death of Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke.
“The general public is hereby put on notice to be vigilant of the manipulative moves of the highly discredited and unfavoured Rauf Aregbesola administration.”
But Aregbesola said the family should give the judiciary the chance to do justice in the matter, saying the governor and the government had nothing to cover up in the case.
The media aide to the governor, Mr. Sola Fasure, who spoke on behalf of his principal urged the family to respect the rule of law and allow the judiciary to do their job.
He said, “What everybody wants is justice for the deceased and there is no better way to get justice than to allow the suspect to be prosecuted. The government set up a coroner’s inquest and the coroner gave his report.
“The government has been working on the report; the logical sequence is that those indicted by the coroner’s report are being prosecuted.
“I think we should have some respect for the judiciary and court process so that we will not create anarchy in the society. We all want justice for the late Senator Adeleke and I am sure that is what the family also wants