The Ondo State Judiciary has begun a coroner’s inquest into the death of the Registrar of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Ezekiel Adeniran.
The inquest followed a letter from the Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Olukayode Ajulo, who urged the Chief Judge of the state, Olusegun Odusola, to assign a coroner in commencement of an inquiry into the death of the late registrar.
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In the letter addressed to the chief judge, Mr Ajulo stated that there are indications that r Adeniran died under questionable circumstances on or about 17 July.
He stressed that, in the public interest, a formal coroner’s inquest is necessary to ascertain the cause and manner of death, and to determine if any individual may bear criminal responsibility.
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Mr Ajulo stated that the inquest would be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Coroners Law of Ondo State, and requested that a magistrate within the appropriate jurisdiction be assigned to serve as coroner.
“Following briefing and information at my disposal, I believe that in the public interest, a formal inquiry in the form of a coroner’s inquest is warranted,” the attorney general said.
Acting on the instruction, the chief judge appointed Dickson Ogunfuyi, a chief magistrate and head of the Ondo State Multi-Door Court, to serve as the coroner.
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The request comes amid growing controversy over claims that Mr Adeniran took his own life by purchasing and drinking poison following a White Paper that indicted him and recommended his dismissal.
However, his family has insisted that he was forced to drink the poison by unknown assailants.
The news of the death of Mr Adeniran first came as that of suicide until the police clarified that it was suspected murder.
Mr Adeniran was found dead in his home, and a statement from the university confirmed his sudden death.
But the police say his death was unnatural.
Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, while making clarifications said that the matter was a case of assassination.
“The man died in the early hours of yesterday. I can confirm to you, this was reported at Fanibi Division,” he said.
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“We are doing everything possible to unravel the lies surrounding this case. I mean, we are after those responsible for this case.
“I can confirm to you that the man was killed. From the information I have at my disposal, two men came out of the bush and they forced a substance into another person’s mouth. But I can’t confirm to you where it actually happened, but our area of interest is to unravel who is responsible for his death.”
Mr Ayanlade also appealed to anyone with information concerning the assailants to “please feel free to come forward and share it with us.”
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