Autopsy report reveals Lagos teenager killed during Yoruba Nation rally died from stray bullet

The result of an autopsy conducted on a young girl, Jumoke Oyeleke, who was killed during the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos has revealed that she was hit on the chest by a stray bullet.

According to the autopsy signed by Dr. SS Soyemi of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Ikeja, and sighted by Ripples Nigeria, Jumoke’s death was caused by “Haemopericardium, disruption of the heart and lungs, and missile injury to the chest.”

It would be recalled that after the incident happened, the spokesman of the state police command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, denied the reports that the police was responsible for the lady’s death, saying it was a “calculated attempt to create confusion and fear” in the minds of Lagosians and other Nigerians.

Adejobi claimed that the lady’s corpse was not fresh, adding that the command did not fire any live bullet during the protest.

A statement by the police read, “The Command did not fire a single live bullet at Ojota rally today. The said corpse was found wrapped and abandoned at a distance, far from the Ojota venue of the rally, behind MRS Filling Station, inward Maryland, on the other side of the venue, with dried blood stains suggesting that the corpse is not fresh.

“After a close look at the corpse, a wound suspectedly sustained from a sharp object was seen on it.”

However, the state government through the Attorney General of the state, Moyosore Onigbanjo said in a statement that a Coroner’s inquest has been requested in line with sections 14 and 15 of the Coroners’ Systems Law, Laws of Lagos State 2015, to determine the cause and circumstances of death.

“The State assures the public that everything will be done to ensure that the cause of death is known. The findings of this investigation will be made public in due course and appropriate sanctions meted out to anyone found culpable,” Onigbanjo said.

Meanwhile, from the autopsy, Hemopericardium refers to blood in the pericardial sac of the heart, clinically similar to pericardial effusion, and, depending on the volume and rapidity with which it develops, may cause cardiac tamponade.

The agitators for Yoruba self-determination had on July 3 gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota amid the presence of armed policemen and soldiers.

This was after the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, had addressed newsmen at the venue, where he announced that no rally was allowed in the state.

However, his announcement was set aside by the agitators who displayed their banners and chanted all sorts of slogans to express their determination towards the breakaway of the Yoruba group from Nigeria.

This didn’t go down well with the security operatives at the venue, who dispersed the crowd by firing teargas canisters and using water cannons.

However, this didn’t deter the agitators who returned to their converging point and carried on from where they stopped.

The security operatives were then said to have started shooting from different directions, forcing everyone at the rally to scamper to safety.

When the situation became a bit calm, Jumoke, who was said to be displaying drinks at a shop close by, was seen lying in a pool of blood.

She was reported to have been hit by a stray bullet when security operatives were dispersing the crowd at the rally.