The family of late Mrs. Mary James Ojobane, who was allegedly killed by an official of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) in an attempt to confiscate her goods, has called on the police authorities and human right groups to help them get justice.

The deceased’s family disclosed that the incident, which occurred at the former Police Barracks at the Wuse Zone 6 Abuja, had left them devastated.

DAILY POST recalls that the deceased, a petty dealer on bean cake, was reportedly pushed down by an official of AEPB on September 1. She died few hours later in the hospital.

The AEPB officials had claimed that they were on an official assignment to destroy illegal shops and roadside kiosks.

However, checks by DAILY POST revealed that a certain Chuma Chukwu, a businessman, who lives in the same neighbourhood, had reportedly written a petition against the deceased and others, claiming that their goats destroyed his car tires and wires.

The deceased’s husband, James Ojobane, an indigene of Kogi State, who retired as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in the Nigeria Police Force, said he was still in bed when his late wife went out for her daily business.

“She starts her business very early in the morning, around 6 a.m. On September 1, I was inside my room when I heard noise outside my backyard. I rushed out and met men from the AEPB, who said they wanted to ‘arrest’ my goats,” James said.

“We bought goats to use for an upcoming occasion and they are always tied to a tree at the back of our house,” he noted., adding that “when I got downstairs, one of them was trying to loosen the goats tied to a tree. I asked him why he was doing that; replied that my neighbour, Chuma Chukwu, a businessman, who deals on gas and diesel, wrote a petition against my daughter, who was in charge of rearing the goats, claiming that the goats found their way under his vehicle, thereby, ‘eating up his vehicle tires and wires.’”

When asked whether the deceased had any issue with Chuma before she died, James said, “I really can’t imagine what his problem is. I can’t recall any scuffle between Chuma and my wife or even my children. We are peaceful people; we have never had any issues with anybody since we started residing here. If Chuma had any issue with my wife, I wasn’t in the know, but I really doubt that; besides he isn’t the only one that has a car in this neighbourhood, why is this coming from him? Goats now eat up wires and tires? It’s unbelievable. Besides, our goats were never left to stray, we always tied them.

“I called my daughter who also pleaded with them to leave the goats alone but they wouldn’t listen. My daughter struggled with the men and my wife was pleading with them to let go of the goats. Whilst my wife was pleading with them, one of the men identified as Dogo Isah Umar, pushed my wife down and on noticing she was helplessly on the floor, they absconded.

“This was at about 9:45a.m. In a split of seconds, while I was still trying to figure out what was really happening, my wife started screaming, ‘my head, my head’. So I asked one of my sons to bring my vehicle so we could take my wife to the hospital, because all efforts to keep her calm were futile.

“She was so helpless; she wanted to urinate, she had to do it right there on her body while on the floor as we were trying to help her up,” he sobbed.

“When we all got to Wuse General Hospital, she was taken to the emergency ward where she laid, breathing with the aid of an oxygen. Soon afterwards, my daughter got a call from home that the men from AEPB returned and this time, with two white hiluxes and a white truck and she was told they were packing the drinks she sells,” he added.

James recalled that about 100 crates were loaded into the vehicles, including two blending machines which his wife used commercially.

“The tables and chairs my wife’s customers use to eat, were destroyed too. My children kept calling me to come and intervene but I couldn’t leave my wife in the hospital, after all, her life was more valuable to me than the things being destroyed and at this time, my daughter had gone to the Utako Police Division to report the incident but unfortunately, the policemen practically chased her out, saying her case had nothing to do with the police, instead, she should go to the AEPB to report.

“We kept waiting at the hospital hoping to go back with my wife, only for the doctor to call me aside to say she gave up the ghost,” he added.

The deceased’s third child, Joy, who is in her mid-thirties, speaking with our correspondent, said: “I’m short of words. Those men from AEPB killed my mother, our bread-winner. Since my dad got retired, my mum has been the one fending for the entire family. My mum was 55 years old before she died. A family of 8 children.”

“I am the third child of the family. None of us has graduated from school. I sought for admission several times and when I got tired, I decided to start up a business to support the family. I started selling drinks. It was my mum who was struggling, day and night, under the sun and rain, trying to see how we can all become something in life.

“Well, my father has said it all, what more can I say? I was right in the hospital when she died. I rushed off to the Utako Police Division where I had earlier gone to report the case, to say my mum had died. Initially, they chased me out but when i got back there, I met with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who asked me what happened. I narrated my first visit to the station and how I was chased out. He queried his men for negligence and authorized them to take my statement, which they did. He also asked them to go with me to invite our neighbour, Chuma, who invited the AEPB to confiscate our goats.

“On getting to the compound, Chuma said he wouldn’t go anywhere with anybody that it was already late and besides, he had nothing to do with the police. Since Chuma was resisting, the policemen had to go back and asked me to monitor his movement, so, they could return the following morning.”

Joy said the following morning, September 2, as early as 5a.m, Chuma was seen driving off.

“About an hour later, his wife, children and housemaid were about to go out when I spotted them. So, I called the police who came and arrested them. Chuma got the information and came to the police station, so he was detained in exchange for his family. The DPO asked him to provide the officials of AEPB who he sent to carry out the operation. He did and they came to the station. The DPO asked me to point out the person who pushed my mother down. The others were granted bail, except Dogo, who killed her.

“The DPO then transferred the case to the state (CID) and one of the policemen there, alleged that my mum probably had a sickness. Can you imagine that?” Joy quizzed.

“My mum woke up hale and hearty that morning; she was not sick. So, I am waiting for Chuma to come and tell me why he didn’t see anything to hold on, rather, goats. He threatened to deal with me. He said, ‘Joy, you are only a kid. If I involve my lawyer and he takes up your case, you will never see broad daylight, you will rot behind bars’.

“I told him that my God will fight for me. Maybe because he thinks he has money and we don’t have, he would be able to deal with us.

“My family and I are calling on the government to look into this matter and handle it appropriately. We beg the government to help us with the autopsy bills because we can’t see to it for now. I wish they would chase these AEPB men away and probably dissolve that organization because they are not doing their job. All they know is bribe and murder,” Joy pleaded, recounting cases of people who had died in the hands of the AEPB officials.

The husband stated that the police asked him to do an autopsy on his late wife to ascertain cause of her death.

He said, “I don’t even have the money to bury my wife and they are asking me to off-set an autopsy bill of about N250, 000.

“Where would I possibly get that from? We will need more than 1 million to bury my wife; where do I run to? I’m a retired police officer, I don’t have any income. It’s my wife who has been assisting a great deal in taking care of the family before her untimely death.”

When asked if he had gotten a call or visit from the AEPB, he said: “Not even a beep. I hear they have a Director there, Mrs. Aishat Adebayo, I haven’t heard a word.

“I am appealing to the Federal Government to look into this matter.”

The DPO, Utako Police Division, Patrick Vaaor, who confirmed the incident, said police would do everything to ensure justice is done.

Eyewitnesses, who tried to shy away from the media, opened up but pleaded anonymity. One said, “I sell bread by the road side and when these thieves that call themselves officials of AEPB come around, I am not moved because all I need do is give them stipends; maybe N1, 000 or more as the case may be.”

The other, a dark-skinned lanky man, when asked if he saw exactly what happened, said: “I saw when she was pushed down and started shaking and vomiting. I am a trader. I sell cabbage and other salad ingredients. The day I know I don’t have money to bribe my way through; I will cover my goods and hide when I notice those men. But when they came and started troubling ‘mama Joy’, (the deceased), it was for another obvious reason because her shop is not even by the road side, not even close. Even if they want to really do their job, Oga Chuma’s trucks loaded with diesel are always packed by the road side, the walk way for that matter, so they should seize them or order him to remove them. It’s so painful but I know God will judge those officials,” the trader added.