CDHR Demands Justice For Slain Victim In Edo Hospital

By Joseph Sunday 

Members of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, Akwa Ibom State branch, have expressed indignation at what they called the  gruesome murder of one Mr Gideon Anietie Emmanuel, at a private hospital in Benin City, Edo State.

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The CDHR is demanding the immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death, arrest and prosecution of one Dr Sunday Oladapo Elusoji, one acclaimed vigilante and others accused of the murder, immediate closure of ‘Our Medical Clinic and an immediate refund of #100,000 allegedly collected by the Special Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Edo State Command.

The members maintained their unwavering commitment to seeking justice and upholding human rights. They reiterated their stance, courage and conviction for the attainment of truth.

A letter written by the CDHR, dated November 18, 2024 and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police reads thus:

The Inspector General of Police,

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Louis Edet House,

Central District Area,

Abuja.

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Dear Sir,

PETITION AGAINST DOCTOR SUNDAY OLADAPO ELUSOJI AND ONE OTHER ACCLAIMED VIGILANTE WITH PHONE NUMBER: 07041162397 OVER THE GRUESOME MURDER, CRIMINAL HARVESTING OF KIDNEY, SPLEEN AND THE EVENTUAL DEATH OF ONE MR. GIDEON ANIETIE EMMANUEL AT “OUR MEDICAL CLINIC” BENIN, EDO STATE.

We are a consortium of Legal Practitioners from the Committee for the Defence of Human Right (CDHR) Akwa Ibom State branch and act on behalf of  Comrade Elder Anitie Emmanuel, (hereinafter referred to as “Our Member”) on whose instructions we respectfully present this petition to you.

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Our Member informed us and we verily believe him as follows:

That he is the father of one late Gideon Anietie Emmanuel, who was until his mysterious death residing in Benin City, Edo State.

That on Wednesday, 11th September, 2024 at about 12:17am, he received a call from his daughter, Abigail Godwin Udosen that one young man called that Gideon had an accident and that he had taken him to hospital.

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That he got the phone number of the person who spoke with the daughter at about 12:22am.

That the young man whose phone number is 07041162397 claimed to be a vigilante told our member that one truck driver came and packed his truck where he was staying and told him that one young man had an accident at Jemila Junction and that no motor agreed to stand or wait there since it was a dangerous place.

That he heard the sound of the accident but that he didn’t go until when the truck driver told him what happened.

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The acclaimed vigilante told him that the incident happened around 10pm or earlier or thereabout.

That the so-called vigilante said that he took the boy to the hospital in the boy’s motorcycle with which the late young man curiously had an accident with and that he carried the boy in his lap and drove with the same motorcycle that purportedly had an accident to the hospital “OUR MEDICAL CLINIC” belonging to one DOCTOR SUNDAY OLADAPO ELUSOJI.

That when he further asked the acclaimed vigilante about the magnitude he told him that he had wounds in the hand and the stomach which the doctor said was swollen and that he had internal bleeding in the stomach.

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He told him that the doctor had started treatment.

That he was surprised that the doctor started treatment according to the vigilante but the same vigilante had told his daughter that the doctor was going to refer the boy to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

The voice call between his daughter and the vigilante is available.

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That he called on his nephews Godwin Samuel Effiong and Ubong Owoedinyene Ibanga to visit the hospital and report back to him.

That by 7:30am in the morning of that Wednesday, 11th September, 2024, my nephews, Godwin Samuel Effiong and Ubong Owoedinyene Ibanga were in the hospital and to their chagrin, they realized that the doctor had carried out an operation in the body of his son; removed his kidney, spleen and other vital organs.

Copies of the removed organs are also available.

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That on that Wednesday, 11th September, 2024 around 8am, the hospital demanded for N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) only deposit which they paid N30,000 (Thirty Thousand Naira) which was part-payment for blood donation.

That on Thursday, 12th September, 2024 at about 2:25am, his nephew called him that his son Gideon was dead.

That he called the doctor in the early hours of that Thursday around 7:30am, he told him that the son could not survive and that they were two and the other two persons had earlier died.

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The voice call between him and the doctor on that day is also available.

The Doctor told him that it was the vigilante that brought his son to the hospital and he was going to call the police for closing of file.

That he quickly called the vigilante and asked him what happened again and he narrated that the boy had an injury only on his hand and the stomach.

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The Voice call between him and the vigilante is also attached and marked exhibit.

That our member decided that based on some curious and irreconcilable contradictions, they will report to the State Criminal Investigation Bureau.

That before meeting with the Police at the State CID, a strange mobile number called 08069602811 and asked him whether he was aware that someone died by accident at Benin and whether he was aware that the person died? He had already lied that he called his number but he never did. The caller informed him that he was a Police officer and asked him go to the hospital and sign document to take away the corpse. The voice call is marked as Exhibit with file number 0240916 – 091132.3gpp, 20240916 – 091248.3gpp.

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That few minutes thereafter, the same police officer called him again that the corpse of his son was smelling around the hospital; voice call marked as Exhibit with file number:20240916 – 092714.3gpp.

That our member was disturbed that he was been pressurised to sign a document for the release of the corpse when there was apparently no consent for the operation and subsequent harvesting of the sensitive organs of the late Gideon Anietie Emmanuel.

That our member on getting to the State CID, Benin, Edo State the police there demanded for N100, 000. 00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira for arrest and N30, 000. 00 (Thirty Thousand naira) only for fuel. The money was paid and no arrest was made.

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That a bus was brought by the police to go and arrest the suspect, that is Doctor Sunday Oladapo Elusoji but our member and his family members were not allowed to follow them.

That the IPO, one Festus with mobile number 08112581115  told him that the doctor who did the illegal operation was a Senior State Surgeon and cannot be arrested but will be invited for interrogation. They showed him a folded letter to be given to the said doctor Sunday Oladapo Elusoji of ‘Our Medical Clinic’. Our member was told this after the police collected N130,000 for arrest and for fuelling of the bus. 

That on Wednesday, 18th September, 2024 our member went to the State CID and the doctor was interrogated by the Police. He told the Police that he removed the Kidney and the spleen because his son had a swollen stomach that caused internal bleeding and that the right kidney was also affected as a result of the trauma from the accident. When probed on who gave him the consent to do the surgery, the doctor with impunity said that he got the son’s hand to thumb print.

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That details of the Police interrogation are with the SCID Benin, Edo State.

That on the 27th September, 2024, he was at the Commissioner of Police’s office where the then Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo told the Inspector with mobile number 08112581115 to carry out thorough investigation in the matter but the Police failed in their duty. 

That the then Commissioner of Police told them to collect his son’s phone and identify the last calls but the State CID failed to do that and have not done anything to arrest the vigilante who made different and conflicting statements.

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Sir, in view of the foregoing facts, we have analysis critically this matter based on the following contradictions:

1.The vigilante told our member that he was the person that took his son to the hospital; voice call 20240912-031937.3gpp (Exhibit..) but when asked by the police he narrated that he saw four persons, one was wearing Army cap and that those four persons were the one that took his son in a bike to the hospital. 

2. The Doctor said two persons were involved in the accident and that the other one died instantly but was countered by my nephew – 20240912-030638.3gpp & 20240912-031437.3gpp.

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3. The Doctor told the 1st IPO who handled the matter that his son had internal bleeding in the stomach that led to the surgery and removal of the kidney and the spleen. This is absurd and incredible that the solution to a swollen stomach as a result of an accident could be solved by a supposed medical doctor by harvesting the kidney and spleen of a patient.

4. The Doctor said he used his hand to hold his son’s hand to thumb print the consent for the surgery. This is the highest level of professional misconduct, criminal intent and a calculated cover up.

5. The Doctor told the 1st IPO that he removed the left kidney and the spleen and that the right kidney was affected as a result of the accident but on another occasion claimed that the Kidney was still functional.

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7. The Doctor on one occasion at the Commissioner of police stated that he had embalmed our member’s son in his hospital but when they got to the hospital on the 27th of September, 2024, the Police were upset because they saw the son’s corpse swollen and smelling which caused them to take the doctor back to the state CID but nothing was done because the officer in-charge said autopsy was the only option to determine what transpired.

8. The State CID, Benin refused to carryout thorough investigation as was ordered by the then Commissioner of Police. The vigilante who is known, and other persons would have been arrested but nothing was done raises fundamental question.

10. The phone calls of the late Gideon Anietie Emmanuel were not investigated or called for to determine if anyone or person is culpable to his death. We observed that one Peter with phone no.: 09168498496 working with Home and Away where the late Gideon Anietie Emmanuel worked and his friend did not show up throughout the period of the investigation in Benin spoke with late Gideon Anietie Emmanuel on Tuesday, 10th September, 2024 at about 8:16pm for 14 secs. The acclaimed accident according to the vigilante took place by 10pm or earlier time as he said in exhibit…..

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11    Again, the vigilante called this same Peter at 10:41pm on that same day which he didn’t pick but by 12:06am of 11th September, 2024 the vigilante spoke with Peter for 34 secs. 

12   It is salient to note that this time it was Peter that was calling the vigilante and after that by 12:10am, they again spoke for 16 secs. which by this time the late Gideon Anietie Emmanuel was still alive.

We are also inform that Doctor Sunday Elusoji license was once withdrawn so, we stand firm and resolute in our pursuit of truth and accountability.

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Yours faithfully,

FOR: COMMITTEE FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHT

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