Lagos Lawyer, Bolanle Raheem Shot By Policeman Died Of Injuries To Multiple Organs, Lungs — Pathologist Tells Court

Vandi and Bolanle

Dr Williams Oluwaseun Olatunde, a Nigerian pathologist and forensic expert, has talked about the death of Bolanle Raheem.

He said that Bolanle, the pregnant lawyer who was killed last Christmas Day died as a result of injuries to multiple organs and lungs.

This was disclosed on Wednesday while the medical practitioner was testifying before a Lagos High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) as the 11th prosecuting witness.

The expert said the organ injuries were caused by the largest shattered bullet fragment, adding that the bullet's path was determined by the relative positions of all injuries to one another, ThisDay reports.

He described the outcome of the post-mortem examination conducted on the deceased, saying that after the body was wheeled into the mortuary, Mr Gbenga Raheem, the husband of the deceased, and an investigating police officer assigned from the State Criminal Investigating Department were invited to identify the body before his team proceeded to take the height, weight, and forensic photographs of the deceased's clothing.

He added: “The body was undressed and we identified all internal defects and took their photographs. The sizes of these defects were measured and recorded. Next, we proceeded to the internal examination and various parts were identified and recorded.

“The findings from the external to internal are that there were multiple defects mainly on the Anterior Chest wall and one defect from the left Axillary fold.

“On internal examination, there were multiple visceral or organ injuries and musculoskeletal injuries and the specific injuries include multiple rib fracture, multiple injuries to the inter-costal spaces and injuries to both lungs.”

Dr. Williams further stated that he was able to establish three things from the examination conducted which could cause death: hemorrhagic shock, destruction of the chest visceral and musculoskeletal tissues.

He continued: “The defect was caused by the largest shattered bullet fragment. The path of the bullet is determined by the relative positions of all injuries to each other. In this case, we determine that the targetry path was from left to right.

“The base of the severity of the injuries seen, the bullet was moving at the maximum force which was likely to be a discharge from a close range. A bullet could strike an object and bounce in the direction of the body”.

“In simple terms, the deceased was pregnant within the period of less than three months,” he added

During cross-examination, Mr. Odutola asked the pathologist if he could determine who pulled the trigger that killed the deceased using his postmortem report; he replied that he couldn't.

Odutola also claimed that the witness relied on media reports for his postmortem records. Dr. Williams responded that all conclusions were reached based on autopsy findings,

He went on to say that the explosive force of a bullet fired from an AK-47 is thousands of times that of a fire hose and that it will penetrate the body whether the individual is standing or sitting.

Meanwhile, Drambi Vandi's attorney informed the court that he intended to file a no-case application to dismiss the criminal charge. 

Adetokunbo Odutola made this known shortly after the Lagos Attorney General closed the prosecution's case following the release of his last witness.

The trial Judge, Justice Ibironke Harrison thereafter, announced that the prosecutor had closed his case, with an order, that both counsels to file adoption for final written address within five days, thereby, adjourning to February 28, 2023.