On March 17, Chukwuemeka Agbo, a Nigerian medical doctor, was deployed to Amman, Jordan, by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the technical officer of its polio eradication programme team in the middle eastern country.
Few weeks after Agbo had assumed his new role within the organisation, however, his family members were suddenly informed of his death. The doctor was said to have slipped and fallen to his death from the roof of the three-storeyed building he was living in in Amman.
The incident was said to have happened on June 9.
Late Dr. Chukwuemeka Agbo
After receiving the news, Agbo’s family members immediately suspected foul play and started seeking answers from his employers.
“When my sister and I arrived in Jordan to Identify my brother, the injuries on his body showed that he was attacked,” said Jideofor Agbo, the late doctor’s brother, in a recent
.“In fact, the police in Jordan also told us that they did not have any conclusive information on how he died. \
Subsequently, two autopsies have been conducted. One was conducted in Jordan, and another one in Nigeria.
“And both autopsies revealed multiple skull fractures, and a death caused by blunt force trauma. The autopsy that was conducted in Nigeria was done by a reputable pathologist.
“And this pathologist has confirmed that the injuries could not have been caused by a single fall. In fact, he completely ruled out accidental death or suicide.”
The Agbo family have accused WHO in Amman of not doing enough on the incident.
“There is a foul play in this matter,” Jideofor Agbo said.
“I requested for the initial report from WHO, Jordan, on how they concluded that my brother fell from the roof of a three-storeyed building to the ground, since neither the information provided to us by the Jordanian police nor the findings we made when we got to Jordan supported their statement (sic).
“Since then, WHO, Amman, has not provided that information.”
On the day he died, the late doctor was said to have spoken to his wife. He was also said to have been searching for a house large enough to live in by his entire family once they joined him in Jordan from Nigeria.
“Regarding the investigation, the Jordanian authorities have not been as helpful as we had hoped,” said Jideofor Agbo.
“When we arrived Jordan, they told us the investigation was still ongoing. We have, however, not received any formal update or the final police report from them eversince.
“The lack of communication and transparency from the Jordanian authorities up till now has been a significant challenge and we are concerned that the delays may result in loss or mishandling of crucial evidence.
“We have reached out several times to WHO, Jordan, and the UNDSS (United Nations Department of Safety and Security) in Jordan, also, for assistance, but they have remained unresponsive to this particular matter.”
Femi Falana, the family’s lawyer, said he wrote to WHO on the matter but had not received any response from the organisation till date.
Apart from seeking justice for their son, the Agbo family also wants the organisation to put safety and security measures in place in other to prevent other families from mourning the death of their loved ones while they work abroad.
The late doctor, 45, left a wife and three children behind.
