The family of the late Abuja-based optometrist Ogechi Ezeagu has petitioned the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, accusing husband of the deceased of murdering her.
Ezeagu, a graduate of Imo State University, was said to have been married to John Ezeagu for 12 years. Their union produced five children.
In a petition written to the IGP, Obioma Okeke, the deceased’s sibling, said on behalf of the family that Ezeagu showed no trace of illness when she visited her parents.
The petition, which the family made available to the press on Thursday, said she died hours after she visited her parents in Jos, Plateau State.
The petition reads: “At about 0300 hours on July 10, 2023, I received a call from Mr. EZEAGU JOHN ‘M’, a resident of Bwari in Abuja, who happens to be the husband of Ogechi John, my late sister.
“He asked me to come over to Abuja from my base in Jos, Plateau State, that my sister was finding it difficult to breathe.
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“The report came to me as a big shock because the two of them visited our family house in Jos, a day earlier and there was no trace that my sister was ill. I asked him several questions concerning the state of my sister’s health and why he reached me at such odd hour, but he ended the call abruptly after insisting that I come over to see her.
“I rushed down to Abuja where the biggest shock of my life was awaiting me. When I got to Abuja, he directed me to Catholic Hospital, Bwari. When I got there, I was expecting to see my sister in one of the wards but surprisingly, I was taken to the mortuary. I asked what happened but he told me that she was just struggling to breathe and he rushed her to the hospital I did not believe she was gone so I insisted on getting a second opinion from another hospital.
“We proceeded to FMC Jabi, Abuja where the doctor certified her dead. I insisted that I wanted an autopsy but their fridge wasn’t in good condition. Since embalmment wasn’t an option, we were referred to the National Hospital, Abuja.
“From there, I moved to Bwari Police Divisional Headquarters to file a formal complaint. The deceased husband was invited over and detained. During detention, he insisted that he knew nothing about the death of my sister and refused to disclose the whereabouts of my sister’s children, five in number.
“At the police station, my family resolved for an autopsy to unravel the cause of her death but the suspect’s family kicked against it, saying we should make arrangement for burial, but we went ahead with the process which confirmed our fears that she was strangled.”
