* ‘They said he drowned but his remains show burns’

By Kayode Olabanji, Okitipupa

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The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, has directed that an autopsy be conducted on the remains of Inspector Yusuf Suleiman Blessing, following allegations of foul play raised by his family.

The family expressed concerns after receiving his body for burial, alleging discrepancies in the circumstances surrounding his death.

They claimed they had been informed that Yusuf had drowned in a river, but were shocked to find his corpse burnt when they opened the coffin.

The command’s spokesperson, Funmilayo Odunlami, stated that the officer’s body was discovered two days after he was reported missing.

According to her, there were no visible injuries or signs of violence on the body, except for a swollen area in the centre of his head.

Odunlami further disclosed that the family had initially rejected an autopsy and insisted on taking possession of the remains for burial.

According to her, “Preliminary investigation revealed that on January 27, 2025, towards evening time, no one could give an account of the presence of the late inspector in the station. Immediately, the DPO directed that a search party should trace his whereabouts, as he was last seen wearing a blue vest and green track suit trousers.

“Two days later, the officer in charge of the Police Marine informed the DPO of the discovery of a corpse lying face down in a river. On close observation, it was discovered that the body was that of Inspector Yusuf Suleiman.

“The family of the deceased was informed of the incident and, in a bid to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased, the CP directed the state CID to take over the case.

“In the course of investigation, there was a demand for an autopsy to be conducted on the body, but the family vehemently opposed and rejected the idea, insisting the corpse of the deceased be released for burial, a request granted by the police.

“As a result of the demand by the family, the body was recovered from the morgue with the police bearing the financial cost and conveyed the remains of the deceased to his home in Akure.

“It is worthy of note that the cloth last seen on the deceased was found intact on his body when his corpse was discovered, ruling out any suspicion of arson, as there was no mark of burns or physical violence on his body.

“Despite preliminary investigations carried out by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID),  establishing a case of sudden and unnatural death with no foul play suspected, the Commissioner of Police has ordered that a full autopsy be carried out to determine the cause of death in response to the allegations made by the family and for public interest.”

The police have assured the public that the investigation remains ongoing and that the outcome of the autopsy will be made available in due course.