Alleged Murder Case… Who Ordered Burial of First Lady Fatima Bio’s Brother?

What baffles many Sierra Leoneans is the flouting of laid down procedures in the investigation of an alleged murder case, irrespective of the position of the deceased or his connections. The fact remains that any alleged murder case is a state matter and should be thoroughly investigated, following all the protocols that goes with such investigations.

The question that bugs the mind is who ordered for the burial of the corpse of the brother of the First Lady, knowing fully well that to establish the cause of death of the victim in furtherance of police investigations in the alleged foul play in the matter, a post mortem examination should be performed before burial is approved.

Legal opinions on how procedures in respect of an alleged murder case, affirm that investigations should involve the production of an autopsy report, which is got from a post mortem examination of the corpse by expert pathologist (s). The lead from that report is then followed by the police to link the suspects to the case. Unfortunately, in the case of the First Lady’s brother, the deceased was buried without any post mortem examination done on him, except that a blood sample was taken and allegedly sent to Ghana for examination. Why was an autopsy not performed before the corpse was buried? Why is the government paying two specialist pathologists from Nigeria, who are currently based at the Connaught Teaching Hospital, and why were they not allowed to do the post mortem on the corpse?

What should be borne in mind is that the deceased is the brother-in-law of the President of the Republic, and it is expected that thorough investigation into the matter should be undertaken by the police, and part of their investigation should involve the performance of an autopsy by expert pathologists. Incidentally, Sierra Leone now has two expert pathologists from Nigeria, contracted by the government to help in the department and to train technicians in that field, but why were they not allowed to do their work that tax payers’ money is being used to fund?

According to the post of the First Lady after the death of her brother, she maintained that her brother was poisoned at Warehouse. The big question is: how did she know that her brother was poisoned when no autopsy had been performed? She furthered that an alleged poison was administered in his drink: How did she know that? See below excerpt from the post of First Lady in respect of the above claim:

“He was well and healthy when he enters WAREHOUSE to eat and drink with his friends only to come out a dead person………………..Rest Well Marabu I hope and pray that whoever put whatever in your drink will faced God’s judgment soon.”

Whilst one may understand her state of mind at that moment, it should be remembered that she holds a top position in the country, as the wife of the President, and anything she says will be taken as facts got from serious investigation outcomes. It is against this backdrop that questions are being asked. If what she said is the gospel truth, and the outcome of very strict investigations by the CID, which is charged to undertake such actions, then why are people being arrested and detained amidst the absence of any autopsy report. Furthermore, if her claim is as a result of outcomes of an investigation mounted by the CID, how did the CID arrive at that conclusion when no autopsy has been performed?

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In the event that the First Lady’s claims are not from any investigations done with scientific evidence as proof, then further questions may arise as to the relationship between the First Lady and the owner of the WAREHOUSE, whose business she has so accused. There is also the negative impact that this incident will create as would be tourist will be afraid to visit the country, as the said incident is believed to have taken place in one of the country’s many entertainment spots along the beach,. It will eventually throw spanners into the work of President Bio, Minister of Tourism and the Tourist Board, and all Sierra Leonean embassies across the world, who have, in their own way, done so much to rebrand the image of the country from a violent prone country to a business friendly and hospitable one.