The Umu-Azoribe kindred, Ukana, in Enugu State’s Udi Local Council, revealed yesterday that their brother, Peter Okolongwu, his wife, Petronilla, and two family members died of poisoning.
Peter, his wife, and their nephew and niece, who lived with them, died days apart on January 18 and 19 of last year after suffering similar clinical symptoms at Amukwu village, Abor, Udi Local Council.
Last year, The Guardian claimed that their untimely demise caused widespread sadness and uncertainty. It also delayed their burial.Similarly, members of Petronilla’s Umu-Azoribe kindred conducted clinical investigations to determine the true cause(s) of their deaths.
A letter to the traditional ruler of Abor community, Igwe Chukwudi Ngwudile by the Umu-Azoribe kindred said the result of a forensic autopsy showed they died from “mixed organophosphate and methanol poisoning.”
The letter, signed by Victor Ozougwu and Alphonsus Ozougwu (chairman and secretary of the kindred) and copied the monarch of Ukana community; chairmen of Abor and Ukana villages; and parish priest, St Peter Catholic Church, Abor, among others, said they decided to inquire about their deaths to correct negative impressions that trailed the tragic development.
It reads:
“Pursuant to that, we made a report to the police and a coroner’s inquest was ordered by the court for a medicolegal and forensic autopsy to determine the true cause(s) of death.
“The forensic autopsy was performed by a team of forensic pathologists at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. The forensic autopsy was also performed on the bodies of Peter Okolongwu and Favour Peter.”
“The samples for toxicology analysis were sent to forensic toxicology laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria, and Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA) for forensic toxicology analysis.
“The result and findings of the laboratories are contained in the autopsy report which was released by the legal unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Nigeria Police headquarters, Enugu.
“We wish to notify you of the release of the forensic autopsy report on the cause of death of Petronilla Okolongwu. A perusal of the report shows clinical and toxicological data determined the cause of death as poison-mixed organophosphate and methanol poisoning of Petronilla Okolongwu that occurred at Amebo, Amukwu village, Abor.”
They had decried negative perceptions and misleading narratives trailing the deaths. They had also wondered why the entire Abor community allegedly remained silent over the tragedy in the last one year.