The
Lagos State Police Command thursday said it had begun a holistic investigation
into the circumstances surrounding the death of Rear Admiral Daniel Teikumo
Ikoli, the erstwhile Fleet Commander at Western Naval Command.
Ikoli,
a former member of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Defense Equipment
Procurement (CADEP), was on Wednesday morning found in a pool of his own blood
in his apartment at No 8B Roycroft Street, Apapa, Lagos.
Although
the policemen from Area B Police Command, had first suspected assassination,
they had later changed the report to a case of suicide after preliminary
investigations, as was shown in their situation report to the command
headquarters.
Nonetheless,
the police investigation is supposed to entail conducting an autopsy to get the
concrete cause of death- whether suicide or assassination, especially as there
was no suicide note when the body was discovered.
When
contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an
Assistant Superintendent of Police, said investigation was yet to be concluded.
He
said: “The police is still investigating but I can’t speak for the navy. On our
part though, our investigation will involve autopsy.
“Our
investigation will be comprehensive and we will look at the last people he
spoke to that morning and the last call he made and the context of the calls.
“It
will also involve interviewing his neighbours and the person that was living
with him at that point. Already he is in police custody and he is cooperating.”
Meanwhile,
the news of Ikoli’s death has raised pertinent issues about ensuring periodic
therapy for military personnel who are undergoing depression.
However,
it was gathered that the cause of death would not affect the entitlements of
the late rear admiral, which would be given to his family.
A
naval source who spoke on anonymity said, “For now, his death has thrown up
pertinent issues like what the service constitution says about deaths of such
manner.
“Since
there is nothing in our service book concerning cases like this, I am sure Rear
Admiral Ikoli would be given his full rights as due his rank and his
entitlements paid to his family.”
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