The autopsy on the cause of death of Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian woman who died in Côte d’Ivoire after being wrongfully imprisoned, was rejected by the Federal Government and her family.

According to NAN, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the father of the deceased, Mr. Emmanuel Babalola, stated this view on Tuesday at a meeting at the NiDCOM office in Lagos.

Remember that Itunu, a 24-year-old woman from Oyo State, died on November 14th, and Nigerians took to social media to express their grief.

Itunu reportedly became embroiled in a legal struggle after reporting that her home in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, had been burgled to the police.

She was supposedly charged in court, and the prosecutor, working with the police, allegedly tainted the case and accused her of human trafficking.

Itunu was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which was eventually reduced to ten years, but she died just two years into her sentence.

Dabiri-Erewa, who extended NiDCOM’s heartfelt sympathies to Babalola’s family, noted that despite not being a doctor, the autopsy left many things unanswered.

“I am not a doctor, but when I looked at the autopsy report itself, ‘Sepsis Complicated by Acute Respiratory Distress’, that is not acceptable even to me without being a doctor and I don’t think that should be acceptable.

“I believe that Nigeria should not just let this matter go just like that. We need to demand justice.

“How come she just died after everything has been done for her release?” she asked.

The case had been moved to Abidjan, and the lawyer expenses had been paid before the sad incident, according to her.

“Even the lawyer said that the girl was not guilty of the crime she was accused of.

She said, “This autopsy, even to me, does not appear acceptable. So, I hope that we would not let the case go like that.”

“We are not going to relent. That police officer must be questioned,” she stated, adding that the police officer in the case has been reported to Interpol.

“I am sure the Minister of Foreign Affairs will take the next necessary steps to demand from Cote d’Ivoire a lot more information than they have given about what happened to Itunu’s case.”

African countries, she believes, must treat one another with respect, decency, and dignity.

The NiDCOM chairman, who suggested that some attorneys had expressed interest in taking the case to the ECOWAS Court, said Itunu would be vindicated and justice would be served even after death to provide comfort to his family.

“Again, it is a tough one, it is a tragic one. It should not have happened. If we let this go just like that, others will go just like that.

“How could this have even happened in another West African country? We will do all we can.

“Now that the autopsy report is out, there are more questions to ask. How was Itunu treated in prison? How come she just died like that when the next thing was for her to be released,” she asked.