The Lagos State Police Command has announced the closure into the search of the body of Allwell Orji, the medical doctor who jumped into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge, weekend, saying the body has been recovered yesterday.
Unlike the rejection of the earlier recovered body, it was reliably gathered that family members, including Dr. Orji’s driver, Henry Ita, confirmed that the recovered body was that of the medical doctor.
The body was recovered at about 4p.m. by policemen attached to the Marine Unit of the Force.
General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Tiamiyu Adeshina, confirmed the recovery in a statement made available to newsmen.
Adeshina said: “The body of Dr. Orji was recovered at about 4.00p.m. today (yesterday) by the Marine Police. And it was identified by some members of his family, including the driver in the presence of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Fatai Owoseni.
“It will be handed over to the family, while investigation continues.”
With the recovery, Adeshina said that the search had been declared closed.
Briefing journalists earlier, Owoseni disclosed that the deceased’s mobile phone had been retrieved, adding that the command was working with the relevant service provider to investigate calls received.
He said: “I was personally at the scene of the incident and I was there when the vehicle was searched. A report that there was a suicide note in the car is false. There was no suicide note.”
He also stated that the case would be investigated as a criminal case, since suicide was considered criminal.
Owoseni described earlier reports that the first body recovered was Orji’s as a human error.
He explained that “at the time the body was found under the bridge at Onikan, what came to the minds of the policemen was that he was the one, since there was no reported case of any other person that drowned, until the driver came and said it was not Orji’s.
“The body and the clothes had been discoloured by water. Forensic analysis will be done to ascertain its identity. We will also do sketching of the recovered body and make it public so that anyone, who knows him, will show up.”
On Ita’s detention, Owoseni said: “It is the duty of the police to investigate the case. The public should give us time to conclude our investigation.
“Whether the driver is in custody is not the issue; what is important is to unravel the mystery surrounding the incident.”
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