Joseph Egbunike, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in command of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, died of obesity complications, according to reports.
The senior police officer reportedly slumped and died in his Abuja office in the late hours of Tuesday, according to InsightnaijaTV.
According to a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), the death of the Deputy Inspector General of Police on Tuesday was caused by a series of events.
According to a source at Force Headquarters in Abuja, Egbunike was having lunch in his office when a fishbone caught in his throat and he couldn’t speak well.
He went on to say that the late cop was brought to the hospital, where physicians were able to successfully remove the bone through surgery.
Egbunike felt better following the treatment, according to the source, and returned home a few hours later.
He claimed that the late DIG began to experience severe discomfort and was rushed back to the hospital, where he died of obesity-related complications.
The source said: “He was eating in his office when he got hooked in the throat by a fishbone, and all efforts to retrieve it proved abortive.
“He had to be rushed to the hospital, where doctors successfully removed it via surgery.”
According to a source at police headquarters, Egbunike was in the hospital to have the fishbone removed, but his health was in jeopardy due to his obesity.
According to the police source, the DIG’s health was always at risk after any surgical procedure.
He said: “His health was so fragile because he was obese and he tried his best to manage it, for example with the standard bed inside his office that enabled him to rest at short intervals whenever he felt weak.”
Until his death, Egbunike holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Accounting degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; a Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons.), B.L.; a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy (MILD); and a PhD in Criminology.
