The family of Chinyere Awuda, the lady who was found dead at Cosmila Hotels and Suites, Awka, Anambra State, on July 17, have rejected the autopsy report by the Anambra State police command that she drowned.
The state police command spokesman, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, had on Friday, July 28, said the autopsy carried out on Ms. Awuda indicated that she died of drowning which is contrary to claims that she was beaten to death by some fun seekers at the hotel.
Shortly after her body was found, some eyewitnesses claimed that Ms. Awuda was beaten to death by some fun seekers at the hotel who accused her of stealing some money sprayed on someone who was celebrating his/her birthday within the hotel premises.
However, the police spokesperson said the pathologist who carried out the autopsy did not find any trauma marks on Ms. Awuda’s corpse.
Reacting to the police statement, the family while speaking through their lawyer, Eziafa Enwedo, asked the police to release the hotel’s CCTV footage, alleging that it showed a male adult chasing the deceased towards the pool area.
Rejecting the autopsy report, the Family insisted that their daughter was killed, noting that the circumstances behind her death must be established and that “justice must be served.”
“We acknowledge the autopsy report of the police regarding the alleged murder of Miss Chinyere Awuda, whose corpse was found inside the abandoned swimming pool of Cosmila Hotels and Suites, Awka. We are relieved that the police have finally launched their investigation into Awuda’s death and what caused her untimely death, which we continue to believe was a premeditated murder,” the lawyer said.
He said the police were forced into carrying out the inquiry, adding that the autopsy report did not resolve the claims of her alleged murder and that the family was prepared to pursue the case further.
“We want the Nigeria Police Force, Awka Division, to release the real CCTV footage they have that show a male adult suspected of being one of the culprits chasing Miss Chinyere Awuda into the abandoned swimming pool area. CCTV footage showed her being beaten, which the suspect admitted to in their statements. The video showed her running and being chased by a number of people. It also indicated that she did not rush into the pool enclosure alone; a male adult followed her inside the enclosure and reappeared minutes later without her. While we accept the autopsy result that she drowned, it’s still possible that she was beaten into an unconscious state and was allowed to drown by the male adult who pursued her into the pool enclosure, as revealed by the authentic CCTV footage in the possession of the police.”
The family through their lawyer said that the autopsy report found that the deceased had injuries on her left hand and that the public should be curious as to what caused the injuries. The family urged the hotel to make public the size of the pool, the volume of the water in it and if it was enough to drown a conscious person, noting that the report in no way exonerated the suspects of possible assault and murder.
“The authentic CCTV footage with the police, which they have refused to make public, contained scenes where the deceased was being pummeled and pursued into the pool enclosure. We will want to know the identities of the adult who pursued her into the abandoned swimming pool area but didn’t raise the alarm that she fell into the pool as being alleged. It’s still plausible that she was deliberately thrown inside the abandoned pool by the adult while unconscious having been beaten by multiple people already. The police must not rush to close the case based on the claims that she drowned. The original CCTV footage and autopsy results must be made public and the circumstances surrounding her being pursued into the pool enclosure must be determined. This is a call for justice for the living and preservation of the sanctity of life. Death shouldn’t just be explained away,” he said.
