The Attorney-General of Ondo State, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, has called for an end to the payment of autopsy fees by families of suspected homicide victims. He is also the Commissioner for Justice. He made the call in a statement in Akure. He said bereaved families should not bear the cost of establishing a cause of death. That responsibility falls to the state.
Autopsies are critical to homicide investigations. They establish cause of death and support prosecutions. In Nigeria, families often pay for them. The cost is prohibitive for poor households. In 2019, the National Human Rights Commission documented cases where prosecutions failed because no autopsy was conducted. In 2022, similar complaints arose in Lagos and Rivers states. The problem is systemic. Medico-legal services are underfunded. Police budgets do not cover them.
Ajulo said autopsies in suspected homicide cases are essential. They should not depend on the deceased family’s financial capacity. “A citizen who has suffered a crime should not be required to purchase justice before the state will investigate that crime,” he said. He warned that failure to conduct autopsies creates evidentiary gaps. Relatives sometimes tell courts that no autopsy was done because they could not afford it. Prosecutors then lack crucial evidence.
He said the responsibility for investigating suspected criminal conduct should not be transferred to grieving families. “Justice must never become a commodity available only to those who can afford its preliminary cost,” he said. He called for closer coordination among the police, medical practitioners, judiciary and other institutions. He urged the government to provide budgetary mechanisms for medico-legal examinations.
The proposal is sound. It aligns with the state’s duty to investigate crime. It also protects the poor. The challenge is funding. Autopsies require pathologists, facilities and reagents. Ondo State has limited forensic capacity. The government must invest. Otherwise, the policy remains rhetoric.
Winners: Families of homicide victims, who gain relief. Prosecutors, who gain evidence. The justice system, which becomes fairer. Pathologists, who gain demand. Losers: Families who already paid fees. States without forensic capacity. Taxpayers, who fund the service. The policy, if funding lags.
Bottom Line: Autopsy fees should not block justice. The Ondo AG is right. The state must pay. Forensic capacity must improve. Otherwise, poor families will keep burying evidence with their dead.