A member of the family, Mr Pelumi Ayanwola, disclosed this on Friday while speaking with journalists at the Right House, Adeniji Jones Street in Ikeja, Lagos State.
According to him, the family turned down the invitation because of the short notice.
“We received an invitation on Wednesday from the police to come and witness Bamise’s autopsy on Thursday.
“We rejected it because we felt that such time was not enough for us to gather the family members to witness it and we also deserve to invite our own pathologist because we want fairness,” he said.
He claimed that although Gov. Sanwo-Olu spoke with his father on phone about the matter, his visit would have gone a long way in calming down frayed nerves, as there were already trust issues against the police slipshod handling and Lagos state government dishonesty of the whole saga.
“I trust him (Sanwo-Olu), but he will not be the one to conduct the autopsy, his people will give him the report, he trusted them but we don’t.”
Pelumi described the security situation of the state as worrisome and wondered what happened to Bamise’s belongings which could not be found, after her heartless murder, suggesting those materials would be very useful in conducting a seamless autopsy.
“Where is Bamise’s bag that contained her phone, my wife and son’s clothes, and other materials.
“Where are the clothes she was wearing on that fateful day.
“Even without the autopsy, all the culprits can easily be apprehended,” he kicked.
He also alleged that a certain official of the state government had called his mother and asked when Bamise would be buried.
“Why is the state so in a haste to bury the remains of my sister, that is immature.
“How can we bury her when justice has not been served.
“There is no security provided for our parents, we don’t know who is who, different people kept calling but God is on our side,” he added.
Counsel to the family, Mr Ayo Ademiluyi, confirmed the autopsy was rejected, as it would be conducted by pathologists appointed by the same Lagos state government with an axe to grind on the matter.
He said, “We received an invitation from police that we should come for autopsy a day before it would be performed.
“We rejected it because it will only be conducted by the appointed officials of Lagos State Government alone.
“Lagos State is a party in this case, they cannot be a judge in their own case, they can only be witnesses or observers.
“It is better for them to invite pathologists that are neutral in this case,” he remarked.
Ademiluyi therefore beckoned on the police and the state government to be given two weeks to assemble their own team.
However, the Lagos State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, told the News Agency of Nigeria that he could not comment on the late Bamise’s issue because he had just been transferred to Lagos and he needed to intimate himself with the detail surrounding the case.
He said, “Apart from the prime suspect who had been arrested and arraigned in court, I cannot say if any other suspect has been arrested.
“I also do not know why the family of Bamise was given short notice regarding their witnessing the autopsy that was to be carried out on the body of the deceased.
“As I said, I still need to update myself on the case as the new PPRO of the Police Command in Lagos State.”
