Ondo AG Calls for Free Autopsies in Suspected Homicide Cases

The Attorney-General of Ondo State, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, has called for an end to the practice of requiring families of suspected homicide victims to pay for autopsies.

Ajulo, who also serves as Commissioner for Justice, made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday in Akure.

He argued that bereaved families should not bear the cost of establishing a cause of death in cases where a person died under suspicious, unnatural, or potentially criminal circumstances. According to Ajulo, autopsies in suspected homicide cases are essential to criminal investigations and should not be contingent on the financial capacity of the deceased's family.

"A citizen who has suffered a crime should not be required to purchase justice before the state will investigate that crime," he said.

Evidence Gaps Threaten Prosecutions

Ajulo warned that failure to conduct autopsies or make medical reports available could create serious evidentiary gaps in the prosecution of homicide cases. "In some instances, relatives of deceased persons would tell the court that no autopsy was conducted because the family could not afford the fees demanded for the examination. This can leave prosecutors without crucial evidence required to establish the cause of death and properly present the State's case," he said.

He stressed that the responsibility for investigating suspected criminal conduct should never fall on grieving families. "Justice must never become a commodity available only to those who can afford its preliminary cost," Ajulo said.

Call for Coordination and Government Funding

The Attorney-General called for closer coordination among the police, medical practitioners, the judiciary, and other relevant institutions to ensure that autopsies are conducted promptly, with medical reports properly transmitted to investigators and prosecutors. He also urged the government to establish appropriate budgetary mechanisms to fund medico-legal examinations required in the investigation of suspected crimes.