The doctor in charge of medical welfare of inmates at the Kwara State Prisons Command, Olaleye Paul Olasunkanmi, yesterday told an Ilorin High Court trying the Offa robbery suspects that the report of the medical examination on the suspects did not show that the wounds on their legs were as a result of gunshots.
But the court admitted in evidence the medical examination report on the wounds allegedly inflicted on the suspects during their interrogation by the police.
The examination was conducted by Dr. Obiora Adunichukwu.
The suspects are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.
At the resumed hearing of trial- within-trial, Olasunkanmi presented the medical examination report before the court.
He said during the cross-examination that the instrument used in the hospital could not tell the date the injuries occurred.
Olasunkanmi said the fracture seen on the X-ray film showed that the fracture was there in the past and was caused by metallic object.
“I am satisfied with the medical examination presented to court despite not being the writer. The author followed due process which has provided answer to the needs of the court.
“I have informed the court that the date cannot be told by our instrument and the injuries are caused by trauma.
Led in evidence by the prosecutor, Yusuf Beki, Olasunkanmi testified that there was no place where gunshot was mentioned in the report.
In his response, the defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe, prayed the court to allow further examination of the cause of the wounds on the legs of the suspects by a ballistician.
He said since the court was after dispensing justice on the matter, the assistance of the ballistician in the matter was necessary.
Responding, the prosecutor, Yusuf Beki, said the submission of the defence counsel was not valid in the case and urged the court to discountenance it.
He said a ballistician cannot determine the cause of wounds, adding that ballisticians don’t work in the hospital.
Beki added that ballisticians only determine the various forms of guns.
The trial judge, Justice Haleeman Salman, in his short ruling, dismissed the submission of the defence counsel, saying the Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has no authority to order a ballistic examination of the wounds on the suspects’ legs.
“This is outside the power of the CMD of UITH and I agree with this. This application is tantamount to attempts to delay the dispensation of this case. The application is hereby dismissed,” the judge ruled.
During the continuation of proper hearing of the case after a short adjournment, the defence counsel further submitted that the combined effects of the prolonged detention of the accused spanning six months without arraignment “as facts can show is enough torture itself, which goes against constitutional provisions.
“The implications of this weaken the accused emotionally; the prosecution cannot precisely tell when the accused were arrested or taken to Abuja. This leaves us with no option but to conclude that the prosecution was lying.
“There is no medical report to show that Michael Adikwu died of natural causes. This shows that the prosecution is lying. There is a consistent story line by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and fifth accused that from the day of their arrest they have been under torture.
“In the light of all this fact, it is difficult to conclude that whatever statement wherever it was obtained, provided it occurred during the currency under the custody of the police, was never voluntary. It was a statement that was given to stay alive.”
The defence counsel further argued that the contents of the medical report earlier tendered and admitted in evidence by the court “gives credence to the story line that the (accused persons’) confessional statement was obtained under duress and that the crux of the matter that makes the admissibility of the confessional statements impossible.”
Responding, Beki said the medical examination report showed that “the evidence of the prosecution witness in the trial- within- trial is credible, having not been discredited in any way. I urge the court to admit the evidence of prosecution witness.
“Metallic is not same as bullet pellet. The doctor said if it were to be gunshot despite being healed, it would have shown. We urge Your Lordship to admit these statements.”
Justice Salman, however, adjourned ruling on the admissibility of the accused confessional statement to a later date.
She adjourned continuation of hearing till May 2.
