Cost of the soldiers accused of causing the death of a 61-year-old man, Mr. Adewale Olupitan-Hassan, in Lagos have been transferred to different parts of the country, a coroner’s inquest was told on Wednesday.
Mr. A.E. Airende, the lawyer to the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Onyeabo Ihejirika, and the Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Raphael Isa, said this at the opening of the inquest.
Airende said, “Most of the witnesses in the matter are currently not reachable as they have been transferred. Capt. I.I Peter, is in Makurdi, Benue State; Haruna Umar, a Lance Corporal, has gone for a course at the School of Supply and Transport, Benin, Edo State, Stephen Ajih, a Sergeant, has been attached with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.
“Ajih is attached to the high tension patrol in Ajah. He often goes on patrol.”
But counsel to the deceased’s family, Chukwuyem Atewe, said the posting of the supposed witnesses in the case was rather surprising.
“Within a space of three months, all the soldiers involved in the incident have been transferred out of the state, this is greatly surprising,” Atewe said.
Airende asked the court to adjourn to November 28 to enable him to assemble the witnesses for cross examination.
However, the Ikeja District Coroner, Magistrate Tajudeen Elias, said that the date was “a bit too far.”
“Inquest is not something that should take a long time; it is not to apportion blames to parties. It is to come out with findings to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” Elias said.
Olupitan-Hassan, a retired director of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, was allegedly brutalised by soldiers attached to the Flag Staff House, Force Road, Lagos on July 15.
The soldiers, who were driving in a military convoy on Ikorodu Road, accused the deceased of breaking the side mirror of one of the vehicles in their convoy.
Olupitan-Hassan died after suffering from head injuries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital on July 29.
Elias fixed November 14 for further hearing.