Eighteen months after the death of former Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the state government has revealed that a coroner\u2019s inquest will be launched to probe the cause of his death.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
According to Ajulo, the petitioners\u2014whose identities he did not disclose\u2014alleged that the widow of the late Akeredolu, Betty, and others were suspected of being behind the demise of the former governor.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
While emphasising that the coroner\u2019s 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\u2019s death has the legal right to demand a coroner\u2019s inquest.<\/p>\n
Ajulo, who stressed that the law would be allowed to take its course without bias or sentiment, said, \u201cIt is not out of place for citizens to demand its invocation when there are legitimate concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n
Ajulo maintained that the petitioners raised concerns over what they described as the \u201cunguarded and unhinged conduct\u201d 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.<\/p>\n