Cosmila Hotel Tragedy: Deceased Family Rejects Autopsy Report, Insists Victim Was Murdered

The family of late Miss Chinyere Awuda, the lady who was found dead in an abandoned pool at the Cosmila Hotel & Suites, Awka, has rejected the autopsy and conclusions released Friday by the Anambra Police Command. 

The police command, quoting autopsy report, declared that the deceased was not killed as no sign of trauma was evident in the post mortem report. According to the report, she died from drowning. 

But the deceased family, which spoke through its lawyer, Eziafa Enwedo, insisted late Friday, that the young woman was murdered, insisting that the command release the CCTv camera footage which allegedly showed the deceased being chased towards the pool area by a male who returned later without her.

"We acknowledge the autopsy report of the police regarding the alleged murder of Miss Chinyere Awuda, whose corpse was found inside the abandoned swimming pool of Cosmila Hotels and Suites, Awka.

“We are relieved that the police have finally launched their investigation into Awuda’s death and what caused her untimely death, which we continue to believe was a premeditated murder," the family said. 

The family alleged that the command was forced into carrying out the inquiry, noting however, that the autopsy outcome did not resolve the murder claims, a reason why it is ready to pursue the case to its logical conclusion since it appears the command is hiding something. 

“We want the Nigeria Police Force, Awka Division, to release the real CCTV footage they have that show a male adult suspected of being one of the culprits chasing Miss Chinyere Awuda into the abandoned swimming pool area.

“CCTV footage showed her being beaten, which the suspect admitted to in their statements. The video showed her running and being chased by a number of people; it also indicated that she did not rush into the pool enclosure alone; a male adult followed her inside the enclosure and reappeared minutes later without her.

“While we accept the autopsy result that she drowned, it’s still possible that she was beaten into an unconscious state and was allowed to drown by the male adult who pursued her into the pool enclosure, as revealed by the authentic CCTV footage in the possession of the police.”

Coming a little short of directly accusing the state police of complicity, the family demanded that the command must release what it referred to as the 'authentic CCTv footage' allegedly being held back by police investigators. If released, the family spokesperson assured, it would go a long way in proving that she was deliberately thrown into the pool. 

“The authentic CCTV footage with the police, which they have refused to make public, contained scenes where the deceased was being pummeled and pursued into the pool enclosure. We will want to know the identities of the adult who pursued her into the abandoned swimming pool area but didn’t raise the alarm that she fell into the pool as being alleged.

“It’s still plausible that she was deliberately thrown inside the abandoned pool by the adult while unconscious having been beaten by multiple people already. The police must not rush to close the case based on the claims that she drowned. The original CCTV footage and autopsy results must be made public and the circumstances surrounding her being pursued into the pool enclosure must be determined.”

“This is a call for justice for the living and preservation of the sanctity of life. Death shouldn’t just be explained away," the Awuda family appealed. 

Following the new development, FreshNews sought the response of the command, via its spokesperson, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu. 

In particular, the medium asked the PPRO to give an insight into why the conclusions it made on Friday, based on claimed autopsy findings, are in contrast with the position of the family, that a man chased the deceased into the pool area and came out afterwards, without the deceased. 

In his initial response, the PPRO forwarded the same statement he released on Friday without addressing the issue raised by the family concerning the alleged CCTv evidence. The medium further insisted that he addressed them.

In his response shortly before the medium filed this report, the PPRO stated:

"The facts are clear, am joining not words with anyone and no one is saying that the girl was not beaten in the club nor was she chased but according to the pathologist's report there was no evidence of trauma on her body instead autopsy report shows that the girl died as a result of drowning.

"This autopsy finding was done in the presence of the family and explained by the pathologist."