Chief Pathologist of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Sunday Soyemi says the first autopsy conducted on the late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., a 12-year-old student of Dowen College was not properly done.
Gatekeepers News reports that Soyemi has informed an Ikeja Coroner’s Court that the first autopsy conducted at Warri, Delta, on the late Sylvester was botched.
Soyemi, who has 17-year experience in the field of pathology, made this claim on Tuesday while testifying for Lagos State Government at an inquest set up to unravel the cause of Sylvester’s death.
The Director of the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Dr Jide Martins led Soyemi in the evidence.
Soyemi testified that the body of late Sylvester was brought to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital on Dec. 13, 2021, stating that he conducted an autopsy on him the following day in the presence of seven other pathologists.
Soyemi said “Before I started the autopsy, the doctor who conducted the first autopsy was in attendance throughout. I observed the first incision that was made for the first autopsy.
“I observed the first autopsy was not properly done. All the things that were not properly done were documented in my report.
“At the first autopsy, the pathologist never opened the oesophagus (the food pipe). He also did not open the trachea (air pipe). These are vital things he should not have left out.
“The conclusion in his report was chemical intoxication. For one to be intoxicated with a chemical, that chemical has to pass through the food path.
“If one does not open the food path, one cannot talk about chemical intoxication. The chemical that should be injurious to one should pass through the oesophagus.
“It should not have been anything near chemical intoxication if it did not pass through the oesophagus.”
According to the witness, the pathologist who conducted the first autopsy in Warri, Delta, did not look into the lungs of the deceased and also did not detach the heart from the lungs as was the standard practice.
Soyemi said, “If he had done that and weighed the lungs, the weight alone would have told him that something was wrong with the lungs.
“Your honour, these are a few of the things he did not do. I will say that he did a botched autopsy. Your honour, this is the cause of the controversy concerning this case.”
Counsel to the Oromoni family, Femi Falana (SAN), however, objected to the evidence of the pathologist, stating that Soyemi was testifying on a matter (first autopsy report) that had not been tendered before the inquest by the DPP.
Falana said “We urge the coroner to stop the move by the DPP to turn the witness to an expert in a matter that is not before the court.
“The learned DPP should have tendered the first autopsy report and asked the witness to compare it with his own. It is not his duty to speak on another autopsy report.”
The DPP, however, said that the expert witness was speaking on the state of a body that was before him prior to carrying out a postmortem.
“He owes this court a duty to explain all the issues that are relevant to the determination of this inquest.
“He needs to explain to this court the findings of the examination he carried out.”
The Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, in a short ruling, allowed the testimony of the pathologist on the first autopsy, stating that the witness was shedding more light on the autopsy he conducted on late Oromoni particularly the state of the body of the deceased.
Kadiri said that the information would aid the inquest in its fact-finding mission.
Following this, Soyemi disclosed his findings to the inquest said the late Dowen College student had lobal pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and infection of the liver.
Soyemi said “He also had an infection of the kidney and an infection of the right ankle, the soft tissue, and the muscle covering the bone of the ankle.
“Against these findings, his death was ascribed to septicemia, lobal pneumonia with pyelonephritis (infection of the kidney) arising from the pyelonephritis of the right ankle.
“The summary of this is that he had a generalised infection.”
The Coroner adjourned proceedings to Feb. 14 for the continuation of hearing.
