A coroner’s inquest set up by Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, to investigate the cause (s) of the sudden death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke yesterday, gave a verdict that the late senator who represented Osun West Senatorial District, died of drug overdose and not poison.
The coroner and Chief Magistrate, Olusegun Ayilara, who passed the verdict, said all evidences and accounts by witnesses before him indicated the first civilian governor of the state died of drug overdose administered on him by unqualified personnel. Ayilara upheld the autopsy report carried out on the late Adeleke at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital as well as the toxicology report on the deceased.
“I have critically gone through all the evidences before me. From the totality of evidences, the possibility of poisoning of the deceased is not sustainable. I have not been able to trace any link to the poisoning by anybody. The autopsy report and the toxicologist report are very specific to say there was no traces of poison or heavy metal in the blood of the deceased. Therefore, it is my firm opinion that he was not poisoned, I so hold,” he said.
Ayilara said the evidence of the pathologist, Dr. Femi Solaja, the toxicologist, Police Forensic expert, DSP Benedict Agboh and Prof. Akeem Lasisi, Chief Medical Director of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, “all scientifically pointed to the fact that the death of the deceased was caused by aspiration of the gastric content, which blocked his airwaves due to high level of alcohol, sedative, anagesic which caused vital senses centre in the brain to shut down, resulting in death.”
He added that the nurse, Mr. Alfred Aderibigbe, who treated the deceased, tried to puncture the scientific evidence by denying administering overdose drugs on Adeleke while treating him for gout arthritis.
The coroner said Aderibigbe’s attempt failed because the evidence he gave in court and his police statement were contradictory, saying the nurse was being economical with the truth.
Ayilara in the summary of his verdict said: “The deceased did not die of food poisoning. The deceased had an administration of overdose of sedative and analgesic by an unqualified personnel, Alfred Aderibigbe, through intravenous means which action was hastened by the presence of alcohol in the system.
“The deceased had patronised the said Aderibigbe for about 20 years and had taken treatment from him without doctors’ prescription. The high dose of sedative and analgesic with the mode of administration caused his death.
Magistrate Ayilara, however, recommended further investigation of Aderibigbe’s qualification to ascertain his claim to be a qualified nurse capable of administering treatment on patients.
He said: “The coroner, however, recommends that the qualification of Aderibigbe be further investigated to be sure he is qualified as he claims.
He also called on the office of the Department of Public Prosecution to look into his case file with a view to determining the appropriate charges, if any, to be pressed against him.
Ayilara also tasked government on the need to sensitise the public to patronise only qualified medical personnel when they need any medical attention.