By Festus Ahon

ASABA—DELTA State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Peter Mrakpor, has said that a bill for the enactment of the  state Coroner Law, which seeks an inquest to unravel causes surrounding the death of persons believed to have died in sudden and unnatural circumstances, would soon be forwarded to the state House of Assembly for legislative consideration.

Mrakpor, who made the disclosure when he received members of the state Steering Committee on Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response on an advocacy visit to his office, said: “When the law comes into force, it will not only help in unravelling circumstances that lead to several preventable deaths which occur as a result of impunity or negligence, but will also make people accountable for their actions.”

Lamenting the death of several people due to negligence and mismanagement, the Attorney-General said, “With the Coroner Law, any individual or persons either directly or remotely linked to the event that leads to sudden death will be held liable and prosecuted by the state.”

The law seeks to uphold the constitutional sanctity of human life and put to end impunity and extrajudicial deaths.”

On the proposed Delta State Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response bill which seek to make it mandatory for any health institution in the state to report maternal and perinatal death, he assured the Steering Committee of government full support in ensuring that the bill is signed into law and becomes enforceable.