Family kicks as pathologist says Adeleke wasn’t poisoned

The family of Isiaka Adeleke, lawmaker who represented Osun west senatorial district in the 8th assembly, has threatened to sue medical practitioners at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for alleged unprofessional conduct in handling the report of the autopsy of the deceased.

The family said this at a press conference in Ede, hometown of the deceased, on Wednesday, while reacting to the testimony of health practitioners who appeared before the coroner’s inquest set up by Rauf Aregbesola, governor of Osun state.

Taiwo Solaja, the pathologist who carried out an an autopsy on the deceased, had said he died of excessive overdose of analgesics, sedatives and alcohol.

Solaja said this when he appeared before the coroner.

“There were no traces of poison or heavy metals in the toxicology report,” Solaja was quoted to have said.

“The deceased was deeply sedated and ate overdose of analgesic which caused central nervous depression, especially in the manner he was given the drugs.

“He apparently vomited and aspirated. The aspiration of the gastric contents blocks the airway.

“The toxicology carried out by the police toxicologist also showed an abnormally high level of alcohol, sedatives and analgesic in the blood of the deceased.”

When Ajibola Basiru, commissioner nominee of Aregbesola, asked Solaja whether he was aware that analgin had been banned in Nigeria since 2006, the pathologist said the toxicology discovered high amount of analgin taken by the late senator.

“His liver showed alcoholic steartohdeatitis. His death was due to aspiration gastric contents,” he said.

Explaining the physical examination carried out before the postmortem, the pathologist said: “We learnt that the deceased complained of pain. He was said to have been given some drugs. The drugs were given intravenously. 40mg of diacepharm, 1000 mg of analgin, 1500mg of gentamycine, 30mg of pentazocine.

“He was said to have been given some drugs. The drugs were given intravenously. 40mg of diacepharm, 1000 mg of analgin, 1500mg of gentamycine, 30mg of pentazocine.

“The diacepharm can cause depression of the nerval system, drowsiness, respiratory depression, vomiting. Analgin also causes the same thing with inclusion of cardiovascular arrest.”

Deji, younger brother of the late senator, said the hospital had refused to release of the autopsy it carried out on the deceased.

“It is quite disheartening, that we live in a country where some of our supposed professionals can be so easily compromised by their paymasters without any regard to the oath they swore to as medical health practitioners,” he said at a press conference.

“The family has also noted with interest the contradictory testimonies at the coroner’s inquest as to whether Senator Isiaka Adeleke had anything to eat at the last party he attended that was hosted by an Osun state APC chieftain.

“The Adeleke family hereby puts it on record, that based on the high level of unprofessional conduct already displayed by the CMD of LAUTECH, the integrity of the yet to be ready autopsy must have been seriously compromised.

“The Adeleke family is consulting lawyers and is considering all legal options available to address this unfortunate and unprofessional conduct exhibited by the medical practitioners in this matter.”