Father wants second autopsy after son's intestinal disappeared after surgery

A Lagos father on Friday asked a coroner handling the inquisition into the death of his 12-year-old son to order a second autopsy into the death of the child.

The child died on Sept. 9 following a corrective surgery conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

His small intestines were reported to have gone missing, leading to an earlier autopsy and a coroner’s inquest.

The inquest is presided over by the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Bola Folarin-Williams, the District Coroner.

Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), counsel to the bereaved father, submitted an application on Friday at the court requesting that a second autopsy be conducted by an independent pathologist.

He submitted that the deceased’s father was not satisfied with the first autopsy conducted as he was not present and had no knowledge of when it was carried out.

Adegboruwa appealed to the coroner to grant the order for the second autopsy and said a letter had been written to the Nigeria Medical Association with respect to the autopsy.

He also pleaded that the Lagos State Government should offset the autopsy and mortuary fees for the deceased, as both parents are Lagos State indigenes.

Responding, Mr. Akin George, counsel to the Lagos State Government, argued that the state government should not be compelled to pay for the second autopsy.

He submitted that the Lagos State government had continued to pay the mortuary fees and also paid for the first autopsy.

After hearing the submissions, the coroner ordered an immediate and independent autopsy on the deceased to enable its interment and adjourned further hearings to Dec. 15.