Posted on: Tue 30-12-2014

Doctors under the auspices of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) yesterday faulted the process adopted by the police in Ondo State in investigating the death of one of their colleagues, Dr David Akintayo Oguntuase. Oguntuase reportedly died on Christmas day in an inferno which gutted his private hospital. The NMA said it had established evidence to show that Oguntuase, a consultant paediatrician at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo, was murdered before his body was set ablaze by assassins on December 25 at his Universal Clinic in Akure, the state capital.

The state NMA Chairman, Dr Betiku Bamidele, also called on the police to get to the roots of the matter, warning that the association would resist any attempt to sweep the case under the carpet. Bamidele, who addressed journalists, regretted the alleged poor handling of the crime scene by the police. The chairman said the scene had been a free for all site, an act that could compromise the body of evidence available at the scene.

He said: “The scene of the incident was initially a free for all to come in and out of the premises before concerted efforts were made by the NMA on the police to cordon off the environment such that the abundance of evidence be adequately utilised. “The manner of evacuation of the burnt body from the scene was to say the least unscrupulous with a considerable likelihood to compromise the results of investigations.

“As if this was not vexatious enough, the scene which apparently was cordoned off following intensive efforts by the NMA, was not the case when it was subsequently visited. “The statement by the PPRO of Ondo State Police Command, Mr Wole Ogodo, narrowed the incident to electricity surge even when the neighbours confirmed that there was no electricity supply at the time of the incident.” When contacted, Ogodo said he would not join issues with NMA

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