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The Family of the late Abimbola Martins Ogbonna is not keeping quiet in their quest to get justice for their daughter and sister.
They are determined to pursue the matter to a logical conclusion and are ready to bring 10 witnesses before the Coroner sitting at Epe, Lagos, to prove that Ikechukwu Ogbonna killed his wife.
The Coroner is expected to sit on January 24, 2023. According to Odiana Eriata, the family's lawyer, a witness statement on oath has already been filed and presented to the court with applications to subpoena various agencies and individuals who knew about the unhealthy relationship and abuse suffered by the deceased.
Apart from the Coroner, the lawyer is not taking any chances, he is not comfortable with the speed of investigation and handling of the case and is therefore calling for the intervention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
This is contained in a fresh petition submitted to the office of the IGP.
In the petition, Eriata also raised an alarm that the mother of the deceased, Mrs. Ebele Comfort Martins is now a subject of harassment from the Police due to the alleged influence of the deceased husband, Ikechukwu who according to the lawyer, is a principal suspect in the case.
He said, "That Ikechukwu Ogbonna has been abusing Late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna and her children during the subsistence of the marriage and before Late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna’s death to the extent of inflicting injury on her nose, face, and other parts of her body. The family will avail the Police of both visual and documentary evidence during the investigation.
"That at some point the mother of the deceased, Mrs. Ebele Comfort Martins request that her daughter should bring the children to the house, and the case was reported to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and later referred to the Divisional Police Station at Ajah and the Late Abimbola was also referred to the Agencies in-house psychologist."
Stating further, he said, "That late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna was also assigned a lawyer by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency to file for a restraining order against Ikechukwu Ogbonna and to protect the deceased from further abuse and violence."
He told the IGP that Late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna later called her mom after three days that nothing was being done in her case at the Divisional Police Station Ajah and the mother, Mrs. Ebele Comfort Martins had to follow her to the Police Station, and they met the IPO (Investigating Police Officer) who took them to the DPO.
"After meeting the DPO, they were asked to go back to the IPO who called Ikechukwu Ogbonna, but he refused to pick up his calls. The IPO later called the Mopol (Mr. Lawal) attached to Ikechukwu Ogbonna and requested that the phone be handed over to Ikechukwu."
Below are the details of the petition:
PASSIONATE APPEAL FOR INTERVENTION OVER THE ABYSMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE DEATH OF THE LATE MRS. ABIMBOLA MARTINS OGBONNA CURIOUS CHARGE AND ARRAIGNMENT FOR NEGLIGENCE OF THE PRIME SUSPECT IKECHUKWU OGBONNA “THREAT TO LIFE AND THE CONTINUED USE OF THE POLICE TO HARASS HUMILIATE, INTIMIDATE, ARREST AND DETAIN THE DECEASED MOTHER MRS EBELE COMFORT MARTINS AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS BY THE DECEASED HUSBAND IKECHUKWU OGBONNA.
We are solicitors to the family of the Late Mrs. Abimbola Martins Ogbonna hereinafter called our client and on whose behalf we write this petition.
Our client's instructions are briefly stated as follows:
1. That late Mrs. Abimbola Martins Ogbonna died on the 15th day of October 2022 from complications from the fire incident of the 12th day of October 2022 in their home at Awobode Abiodun Street, Megamund Estate, Off Lekki, Epe Expressway, Ajah, Lagos.
2. That Late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna suffered severe domestic violence and abuse in the hands of Ikechukwu Ogbonna before her untimely death and the issues of abuse and domestic violence were reported at the Lagos State Domestic And Sexual Violence Agency, the Divisional Police Office Ajah and the AIG ZONE 2 Lagos was petitioned on the persistent threat to life, abuse and violence before the unfortunate incident. Attached and marked Exhibit A is the report from the office of the Lagos State Domestic And Sexual Violence Agency.
"Exhibit B is the referral letter to Ajah Police Station and Exhibit C is the petition to the AIG ZONE 2 Onikan Office before the preventable and avoidable incident.
3. That Divisional Police Officer at the Divisional Police Office, Ajiwe, Ajah Lagos was unable to arrest and interrogate Ikechukwu Ogbonna who boasted that he has a certain retired AIG and former COP of Lagos State as his godfather and for that reason, the DPO at the Divisional Police at Ajah Lagos was unable to attend to the referral letter from the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency as at the 6th day of September 2022.
4. That Ikechukwu Ogbonna has been abusing the late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna and her children during the subsistence of the marriage and before the late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna’s death to the extent of inflicting injury on her nose, face, and other parts of her body. The family will avail the Police of both visual and documentary evidence during the investigation.
5. That at some point, the mother of the deceased, Mrs. Ebelle Comfort Martins requested that her daughter should bring the children to the house, and the case was reported to the Lagos State Domestic And Sexual Violence Agency and later referred to the Divisional Police Station at Ajah and the Late Abimbola was also referred to the agency's in-house psychologist.
6. That late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna was also assigned a lawyer by the Lagos State Domestic And Sexual Violence Agency to file for a restraining order against Ikechukwu Ogbonna and to protect the deceased from further abuse and violence.
7. That late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna later called her mom after three days that nothing was being done in her case at the Divisional Police Station, Ajah, and the mother, Mrs. Ebelle Comfort Martins had to follow her to the Police Station, and they met the IPO (Investigating Police Officer) who took them to the DPO.
8. That after meeting the DPO, they were asked to go back to the IPO who called Ikechukwu Ogbonna, but he refused to pick up his calls. The IPO later called the Mopol (Mr. Lawal) attached to Ikechukwu Ogbonna and requested that the phone be handed over to Ikechukwu.
9. That Ikechukwu Ogbonna spoke to the IPO on phone so rudely and told him to tell the DPO to come and arrest him personally in his house; after which he texted Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna to repeat what he told the IPO in charge of the case.
10. That the frustrated IPO advised the deceased and her mother to lodge a complaint at Zone 2 Onikan, Lagos, which they went to immediately, and they were asked to write a petition to the Assistant Inspector General office, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, which the mother wrote and the petition was approved, and after the petition was approved, the police at Zone 2 were planning to arrest the deceased husband, Ikechukwu Ogbonna, before the incident of 12th October 2022 took place.
11. That the Police at the SCID Panti, hurriedly charge and arraigned Ikechukwu Ogbonna for negligence before the Magistrate Court 7 in Charge No.H/43/2022 at Yaba in a matter that involves the death of Late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna and the husband, Ikechukwu Ogbonna being the prime suspect.
12. That on citing the charge of negligence before the court, the Magistrate reluctantly admitted the defendant to bail but ordered the file be duplicated and sent to the office of the DPP of Lagos State, and the Lagos State Government has directed the Chief Coroner of Lagos State to commence hearing on the subject to unravel the circumstances leading to the death of the deceased.
12. That Ikechukwu Ogbonna is using the Police to harass the late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna's mother, Mrs. Ebele Comfort Martins, and her family for stealing his 20 thousand dollars when he could not pay his children’s school fees and having alleged that he abandoned the wife on their way to the 7th hospital because he needed to go and source for funds from his friends to pay the deceased medical bills.
13. The said Ikechukwu Ogbonna wrongfully accused the deceased family of stealing his cars and Jewellery worth thousands of US dollars, and he is using the Office of the COP Lagos State Police Command through the CP’s Tactical Team to hound the deceased family.
In the foregoing, we humbly urge you to intervene and take over the investigation of the death of the late Mrs. Abimbola Martins Ogbonna forthwith and ensure an unbiased police report is forwarded to the DPP and culpable persons are properly charged and arraigned before the proper court with corresponding jurisdiction to determine a such case.
We also enjoin you to halt the further harassment of Mrs. Ebele Comfort Martins and the entire deceased family by the Lagos State Police Command and their privies and take over the investigation of the false, baseless, harmful, and embarrassing petition written by the said Ikechukwu Ogbonna against the mourning family.
Thanks in anticipation of your urgent intervention.
Yours faithfully, Odiana Eriata Esq.
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