The family of late businessman, Mr Solomon Iwerebor, has demanded an autopsy and forensic examination to establish the cause of his death, urging the police not to bow to pressure to release suspects or compromise investigations into the alleged murder.
The family also called for the immediate establishment of the whereabouts of the deceased’s remains, insisting that the body must not be buried, cremated or disposed of in any manner that could frustrate investigations.
Two persons, identified as the deceased’s brother, Justin, and his wife, Anthonia, with whom Solomon was reportedly staying before his suspicious death, were arrested on Monday in connection with the alleged murder.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, the deceased’s sisters, Mrs Stella Iwerebor and Mrs Udo Hamis, alongside their lawyer, Dr Charles Mekwunye, SAN, said the family was determined to get answers about the circumstances surrounding his death.
They expressed concern over the circumstances of his death, particularly the failure to inform the family promptly and the alleged refusal of the suspects to provide information about his final days.
The family disclosed that Solomon, who lived in Germany with his wife and children, had not been seen by other family members for over two years after travelling to Nigeria to visit Justin and his wife.
According to them, they only learnt about his death through third parties on September 6, several days after he reportedly died.
They said they were neither informed of any illness he might have suffered nor given details of the hospital where he was allegedly treated.
The sisters added that repeated efforts to establish the nature of the illness, the hospital where he received treatment and the whereabouts of his remains had yielded no result.
“All we want is proper investigation. Our brother has died under very disturbing circumstances and we want to know how he died.
“It is hard that we have lost one brother and another one and his wife are suspects in the death, but we want answers,” they said.
The family urged the police to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation, stressing that no individual or institution should be allowed to influence the process.
They also demanded that investigators establish the identity and location of the hospital in Benin City, Edo State, where the deceased was allegedly taken, and obtain relevant medical records.
The family’s lawyer had earlier petitioned the Lagos State Police Command, seeking an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Solomon’s death, the whereabouts of his corpse and access to relevant medical documents.
Following the referral of the matter to the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, and the invitation of the suspects, the family alleged that the Zone 2 Command attempted to take over the investigation.
This development prompted another petition to the Inspector-General of Police on October 23, 2026.
In the petition, the family alleged that the suspects had failed to honour police invitations at Panti and questioned the decision to transfer the case to Zone 2, which they claimed did not have a homicide division.
They consequently urged the IGP to return the investigation to SCID, Panti, and direct that the final investigation report be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for appropriate legal action.
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The family further called for the preservation of the deceased’s remains, an autopsy and other forensic examinations, subject to applicable laws and forensic procedures, to determine the actual cause of death.
They appealed to the police authorities not to yield to undue pressure to hastily release the arrested suspects, insisting that anyone found culpable must be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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