LAGOS – A Coalition of Gender Based Violence (GBV) has accused the police of stalling the scheduled au­topsy of a 14-year old Miss Karen-Happuch Akpagher, who was allegedly rape at Premiere Academy, Lugbe in Abuja.

Besides, it was learnt that none of the family members of the deceased student was present at the hospital where the autopsy was scheduled to take place.

The autopsy was supposed to hold at the Maitama Gen­eral Hospital Abuja last Sat­urday.

Happuch Akpagher was a boarding student in the Abu­ja-based school before the un­timely death in a hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The group, in a statement by Lemmy Ughegbe and Mrs. Edoamaowo Udeme, Men Against Rape Foundation and Network Against Domestic Violence Foundation, respec­tively, which was made avail­able to journalists, expressed dismay at the conduct of the police for purportedly stalling the arrangement.

The group said following the controversies that trailed the cause of death of the de­ceased, an autopsy was sched­uled for Saturday, July 3, 2021 in Abuja, but alleged that the Deputy Commissioner of Po­lice (DCP) at the FCT Police Command refused to release a copy of the medical report to the police-appointed pathol­ogist.

The coalition of GBV responders expressed disap­pointed on the conduct of the police and called for a probe of the special interest of the DCP in holding to the medical report on the cause of death.

The statement insisted that the police displayed levity and lack of professionalism in handling the serious case, saying it portrayed the force as too casual and noncha­lant with regards to cases of sexual and gender based violence.

The group added: “We un­derstand that the principal pathologist at the Maitama General Hospital appointed by the police to conduct the au­topsy, Dr. Desmond Ike Okonk­wo, had in the last five days demanded from the police a copy of the medical report on the death of Keren-Happuch. “