INSPECTOR Charles Odigwe and Corporal Felix Egbosun were policemen attached to Ogidi Divisional Police Station in Anambra State.
The two officers were dismissed from the Police Force in September 2010 for torturing 45-year-old Osita Okafor to death in a police cell.
Okafor was away when his neighbour, Hyacinth Agbo, was arrested by some policemen for an alleged armed robbery offence.
The policemen confiscated some property of Okafor, alleging that he was fingered in the robbery incident.
When Okafor returned, he later went to the police station with his friend to reclaim his property but both of them were detained.
Okafor later died from injuries inflicted on him by the two police officers in their attempt to extract information from him about the robbery.
Observers maintain that stories like that of Okafor are commonplace in the country, as torture has somewhat become an acceptable means of extracting information from suspects.
However, experts in cell biology and genetics insist that this should not be so since there are innovative methods of extracting information from suspects.
The experts, at a recent DNA (deoxyribonucleic) forensics colloquium entitled “From Crime Scene to Courtroom: The DNA Evidence”, held at the University of Lagos, underscored the usefulness of DNA analysis in efforts to track down criminals.
Prof. Bode Gbenle, who spoke on “DNA Fingerprinting in Forensic Science” noted that that DNA fingerprinting in forensic science, which started in the 19th Century in a laborious manual style, had now been made easier via the use of computers.
“The advent of computers in the 1970s has made fingerprinting much easier, as the electronic process takes less time and produces more accurate matches.
“The production of patterns of DNA bands that are unique to individuals make them useful in forensic examinations,” he said.
Gbenle added: “What differentiates the chemical structure of everyone’s DNA from another is the order of the base pairs contained therein.”
The professor stressed that it was the difference in the sequence of millions of base pairs in each person’s DNA that was unique, adding that it could also be used to distinguish one individual from another.
“Scientists use a small number of sequences of DNA that are known to be different among individuals in a very clear manner; they analyse them to get a certain probability of a match,” he said.
Prof. Oluseso Omidiji, who delivered a lecture on “DNA: The Molecule of Life”, said the human DNA was one part of the human life that remained for a long time.
Omidiji, who is from the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Lagos, said contemporary crime detection procedures involved using some elements in human life, like the DNA.
He underscored the need for such activities due to the fact that only living things could commit crimes.
Omidiji said the DNA samples could be used in tracing criminals because they constituted an element in human life left at crime scenes.
He said research had shown that the DNA contained materials that were very reliable in determining their sources of origin; adding, therefore, that the use of DNA analysis in crime investigations could exonerate or confirm the complicity of a suspect.
Dr Mathias Okoye, the Director of Nebraska Forensic Medical Services in the U.S., stressed that Nigeria should not be left behind in the global efforts to acquire the DNA analysis technology.
He noted that some smaller African countries had acquired the technology.
“Laboratory procedures are very important in finding criminals because its results are usually more accurate. However, before you can use the technology effectively, you must have trained hands and relevant equipment to do quality forensic examination. To conduct quality forensic analysis, you need well-trained biochemists, who have expertise in protein biochemistry,” he said.
Okoye, who is a medical doctor and forensic pathologist, warned that those who were not competent enough in carrying out DNA analysis should not be pushed into it so as to avoid any temptation to “cook up results”.
He noted that before examining crime scenes for samples, investigators should first get preliminary information from callers and persons around the crime scene.
Okoye, nonetheless, stressed that the investigators should be methodical in their documentation, adding that they should “examine blood stain patterns at the crime scene”.
He emphasised that proper documentation would help the investigators to reconstruct the scene “in order to verify or contradict an alibi or testimony”.
Okoye advised that before scaling up the practice of DNA analysis, the country should enact a “DNA Evidence and Allied Matters” legislation to take care of certain issues regarding human rights and standards which might crop up.
The Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Rahaman Bello, underscored the need for the establishment of a forensic institute in the university to train more experts in forensic biology.
He also stressed the need to advance the knowledge of security agencies in forensic technology in order to boost crime detection in the country.
The Executive Director, Inquaba Biotec of South Africa, Mr Oliver Preisig, said his company’s interest in co-sponsoring the colloquium was hinged on the need to expand knowledge of Nigerians in DNA analysis as this could help the country in crimes’ detection.
All the same, stakeholders agree that Nigeria should commence extensive use of DNA analysis in its crime investigation efforts.
They, however, stress the need for a proper legislation to take care of possible abuses.
