Ondo state government has revealed that a coroner’s inquest will be launched to probe the cause of the death of former State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
This is coming eighteen months after the demise of the former governor.
DAILY POST reports that the state government observed that the move became necessary following a request from some concerned citizens of the state who submitted a petition to the Ministry of Justice.
Speaking on the matter, the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo, who did not disclose the petitioners, alleged that the widow of the late Akeredolu, Betty, and others were suspected of being behind the demise of the former governor.
He pointed out that the coroner’s law in the state was designed to address public concerns surrounding deaths considered unnatural or controversial.
Ajulo further said that under the law, any citizen or group who reasonably suspects foul play or has lingering questions about a person’s death has the legal right to demand a coroner’s inquest.
The chief legal officer of the state disclosed that petitions over the request were received from within and outside the state, including professional bodies, as well as from the late former governor’s hometown.
He insisted that the petitioners raised concerns over what they described as the unguarded conduct of the former First Lady, with the claim that her actions cast doubt on the official narrative that the former governor died from cancer-related complications.
It would be recalled that Akeredolu died in December 2023 after succumbing to prostate cancer.
