Aggrieved families of a widower, Jude Osuhor, and his sister-in-law, Happiness Efifie, have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba, over their unlawful detention at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja in relation to the alleged murder of their relative, Vivian Osuhor.
The late Vivian, who was Jude’s wife and Happiness’ elder sister, had died in Healing Field Specialist Clinics, Ajao Estate, Lagos on 14th September, 2021 from a combination of pregnancy related complications, fibroid and diabetes, according to an autopsy report and a death certificate obtained by Our Correspondent.
But one Ms. Lovett Efifie, who is the youngest sibling of the deceased, accused the duo of masterminding the death of her sister.
Consequently, she petitioned the police, which resulted in the arrest and detention of the widower and his sister-in-law in Lagos on the 2nd of October, 2021 barely a week to the final burial of the late Vivian.
Shortly after their arrest, the case was transferred to the FCID Abuja, but the suspects were later released on bail when the police found no reasonable cause to continue to hold them.
However, they were re-arrested on the 15th of October on the orders of the Commissioner of Police (FCID Homicide Section) Chollom Gyang, in Abuja and held incommunicado since then.
Speaking to journalists on behalf of the two aggrieved families at a joint briefing on Tuesday, Mrs Uche Oniemola, Jude’s eldest sister, stated in an emotion-laden voice “The said petitioner (Lovett Efifie) attended the service of songs for her late sister with four other siblings on 1st October, 2021 and slept in Jude’s house that night before sneaking out early in the morning the next day and returning in company of policemen to arrest him. She wrote a petition without the consent or concurrence of our families.
“It is germane to state that at the time of depositing the remains of the deceased in the mortuary of General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos, the body was intact. There was no injuries, incisions, signs of trauma, and other marks on her body.
“However, Lovett insisted that she suspected ‘foul play’ in her sister’s death and demanded an autopsy. She accepted to bear the full cost of the post-mortem examination. The autopsy was carried out and nothing suggesting murder was found.
“It is pertinent to state that the petitioner had not been on cordial and speaking terms for about 10 years with all her siblings including the deceased. So, if not for a sinister motive to severely punish them and the two infant children of the late Vivian why has she suddenly become the champion for a cause without a foundation but based on a spurious allegation.
“We believe that distraught Jude, who is innocent of the allegation is an unfortunate victim of collateral damage as he is caught in a cross-fire of a long-standing family feed which the petitioner is using the State apparatus to wage.
“We, the Osuhor and Efifie families, therefore, appeal to the IGP to use his good offices to ensure that there is no miscarriage of Justice in this matter, and that Jude Osuhor and Happiness Efifie are released unconditionally to bury and mourn our late daughter and daughter-in-law and care for their two infant children aged six and 15 months respectively in exercise of their fundamental human rights as ordered by Federal High Court Abuja on 5th November, 202, and having been exonerated by the autopsy conducted by a government-appointed pathologist.”
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