Olusegun Ariyo
Eighteen months after the death of former Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the state government has revealed that a coroner’s inquest will be launched to probe the cause of his death.
The state government, through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo, disclosed that the move became imperative following a request from some concerned citizens of the state who submitted a petition to the Ministry of Justice.
According to Ajulo, the petitioners—whose identities he did not disclose—alleged that the widow of the late Akeredolu, Betty, and others were suspected of being behind the demise of the former governor.
Akeredolu died in December 2023 after succumbing to prostate cancer, which he battled for a while during his tenure as governor of the Sunshine State.
While emphasising that the coroner’s law in the state was designed to address public concerns surrounding deaths considered unnatural or controversial, Ajulo emphasised 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.
Ajulo, who stressed that the law would be allowed to take its course without bias or sentiment, said, “It is not out of place for citizens to demand its invocation when there are legitimate concerns.”
The chief legal officer of the state revealed 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.
Ajulo maintained that the petitioners raised concerns over what they described as the “unguarded and unhinged 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.
