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| FESTUS KEYAMO |
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
The Inspector-General of Police,
Force Headquarters
Louis Edet House
Abuja.
Dear Sir,
SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF MR. CHRIS ONAGHISE: A CASE OF CULPABLE
HOMICIDE AGAINST THE MANAGEMENT OF LAGOON RESTAURANT, LAGOS.
We are solicitors to Mr. Orobosa Onaghise (hereinafter
referred to as ‘our Client’) on whose instructions we write to you.
Our Client briefed us as follows:
That the Late Mr. Chris Onaghise (hereinafter referred to as
‘the Deceased’) is his son and until his demise, a staff of Lagoon Restaurant,
Victoria Island, Lagos. Our client further informed us that on Monday 16th
June, 2014, he received a telephone call from a lady (who did not want to be
identified) informing him that something tragic had happened to the deceased at
his workplace. Our client consequently rushed to the Lagoon Restaurant but
despite his best efforts could only arrive there after two (2) hours. Upon
arriving at the Lagoon Restaurant, our client was informed that the deceased
fell into the lagoon while on duty at about 10:00am that morning and was still
in the lagoon.
Our client demanded to know why no immediate rescue efforts
were made to rescue the deceased and one Mr. Rami, the Managing Director of the
Lagoon Restaurant informed our client that the Restaurant had no life jackets,
divers or indeed safety apparatus. Upon our client’s persistence, the Managing
Director invited a lady vide a telephone conversation who identified herself as
a Police Officer from Bar Beach Police Station in charge of the investigations
.
On enquiry as to the extent of investigations, our client
was bluntly informed by the Police Offices that investigations had been
concluded and that she believed that the deceased slipped, fell into the lagoon
and consequently lost his life. Our client was curious as to how the
investigations could have been concluded when the body of the deceased was
still in the Lagoon and none of the eye-witnesses or the management of the
Lagoon Restaurant had been questioned. Our client’s concerns were ignored by
the Police Officer and the deceased was abandoned in the Lagoon despite the
agitations of our client till 10:00pm.
Our client further informed us that the next day (17th June,
2014), he visited the Bar beach Police Station where he met with the Divisional
Police Officer (DPO) and enquired about the recovery of the body of the
deceased and further investigation, to our client’s utter bewilderment, the DPO
denied knowledge of the existence of the case and the allegedly concluded investigations.
The DPO subsequently ordered an investigation and an invitation of all the eye
witnesses including the Managing Director of the Lagoon Restaurant.
The DPO subsequently directed a recovery of the body of the
deceased. At about 10:00pm on Tuesday, 17th June, 2014, the body of the
deceased was allegedly recovered from the same spot in which he was said to
have slipped. A cursory look at the body of the deceased disclosed bruises and
blood stains all over the face suggestive of a physical confrontation before
the alleged drowning. To further confirm the foregoing suspicions, the deceased
body did not show any signs of bowel enlargement consistent with drowning. Do
find attached images of the body of the deceased to buttress the foregoing.
The question begging to be answered arising from these facts
are as follows:
1. Why is the
obvious physical state of the body of the deceased inconsistent with the
management’s narration of events leading to the death?
2. In the unlikely
event that the management of Lagoon Restaurant’s account of events is accurate,
what are the safety measures put in place by the management of the Lagoon
Restaurant to prevent such occurrence, since it carries on business in a high
risk environment?
3. Why was the staff
that called to inform our client of the incident sacked immediately?
4. Why did the
management of the Lagoon Restaurant break into the deceased personal locker
while the key to the said locker was found on the deceased’s body?
We are consequently constrained to write this petition to
your exalted office as our client has become increasingly frustrated with the
nonchalant attitude with which the Bar Beach Police Station is handling the
investigations and the desperate efforts of Mr. Rami, the Managing Director of
the Lagoon Restaurant (a Lebanese national) to conceal and destroy evidence
that will aid the authorities to resolve all the queries raised by the
foregoing facts.
We therefore urge you to use your good offices to order a full
investigation and Coroner’s Inquest for the purpose of resolving the foregoing
questions and consequently prefer criminal charges against all those found
culpable.
We anticipate your urgent intervention in this matter.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
For: Festus Keyamo Chambers
FESTUS UKPE, ESQ
BENEDICTA N. OBANYE
Counsel
Practice Manager, Abuja
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