There are indications that the police might conduct an autopsy to determine whether Ifeanyi Adeleke, son of popular music artiste, Davido, and his fiancée, Chioma Rowland, died as a result of drowning in a swimming pool at his father’s residence in the Banana Island area of Lagos State.
According to a source, who confirmed the development, it was standard practice for the police to conduct an autopsy in such a case, adding, however, that the police would desist from the move if the deceased’s family members were against it.
“Though the family members are not saying anything yet because they are still in shock but until anybody says stop, the standard procedure is to conduct an autopsy and we are going to follow that procedure just like in any case of death,” the source said.
The source also disclosed that out of the eight domestic workers interrogated by the police in connection with Ifeanyi’s death, the cook and nanny, whose jobs was to cater for the wellbeing of the three-year-old boy, had been detained for reasons including the failure to uphold the duty of care of the minor.
“It was the work of the nanny to take care of the child (Ifeanyi); the nanny was negligent or how could the boy have left the house without her knowledge?
“The boy left the house, walked to the back where the swimming pool is situated and fell into the swimming pool. Nobody noticed until much later. At that point in time, he had drowned and was at the bottom of the swimming pool.
“So, they brought him out and rushed him to the Lagoon Hospital, where the doctors tried unsuccessfully to revive him. They left the hospital and rushed the boy to Evercare Hospital, where he was declared dead.
“They have deposited his corpse in the mortuary for an autopsy to reveal the cause of death. All the domestic workers at home when the incident happened have been questioned by the police but only the nanny and cook were detained,” the source added.
Confirming the detention of the two domestic workers, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, when contacted, said, “I spoke with the DPO and he said the nanny and the cook have been detained. Other domestic workers brought in for questioning were involved released.”
Also a closed circuit television (CCTV) which should be installed in such a high brow residence, can shed more light on the probable cause of his death.
The news of the death of three year-old, Ifeanyi Adeleke has thrown the family into mourning since Monday when the boy was said to have drowned and also attracted tributes from important personalities, celebrities and the public who sent messages on their social media handles.