Abimbola Ogbonna: Family seeks review of murder case by DPP, Lagos govt

A call has been extended to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) and Lagos State government, to review the murder case of the late Mrs. Abimbola Ogbonna, wife of celebrity Lagos auto dealer, Ikechukwu Ogbonna, popularly known as IVD, and ensure that a proper charge is preferred against anyone found culpable of the crime.

 

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the family’s lawyer, Odiana Eriata, pointed accusing fingers at the police for cover-up and questioned how the case was being handled.

 

The late Ogbonna’s family equally challenged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP) and the entire police formation to resist the temptation of being used by Ikechukwu Ogbonna and his alleged godfather, a former Commissioner of Police, to harass, intimidate, humiliate and further arrest or detain the deceased mother, Mrs. Ebele Comfort Martins and the entire family members.

 

Addressing the media on behalf of the family, Eriata further revealed that the deceased, before her death, had petitioned the police over an attempted murder, assault occasioning harm, wounding, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, domestic violence, and threat to her life by her husband.

 

According to the petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, which was dated October 6, 2022, and signed by Abimbola Bobby Martins, she alleged, “For the past fifteen years, I have been married to Ikechukwu Ogbonna. I, with my children, have not seen peace with him, every day is hell for me and my children.

 

“Sir, it is pertinent to state here that the said Ikechukwu beats me all the time like a baby slave as if my family used me to borrow money from him. When I open my cloth, sir, and show my body to you, it is an incomplete body with wounds and injuries all over sustained from the beating, and maltreatment I received from him every day.

 

“Some few weeks ago, he brought out his gun and threatened to shoot me, I was saved with the help of my Estate neighbour. I reported this incident at Ajah Police Station and the police invited him and refused to report and all the police stations, including the DPO worship him.

 

“Anytime there is a misunderstanding between me and him, he always breaks bottle on me, or he will go for a knife and he cuts me with it. “I urge you sir to use your good office to wade into this matter by recovering the gun he uses in threatening me and bring him to book for justice to prevail”.

 

While expressing dissatisfaction at the charge of negligence activated before the Lagos Mag- Abimbola Ogbonna: Family seeks review of murder case by DPP, Lagos govt istrates’ Court in Yaba, designated as Charge No.H/43/2022, in a matter that involves the death of the late Mrs. Ogbonna, and the husband being fingered as the prime suspect, the lawyer insisted that the State must do what is necessary to avert future occurrence, even as he argued that the death of the deceased could have been avoided, except for the systemic failure and lack of effective protection against domestic abuse and violence of the deceased by her husband, Ikechukwu Ogbonna.

The counsel equally stated that facts have emerged that the late Mrs. Ogbonna suffered severe domestic violence and abuse at the hands of her husband before her untimely death and the issues of abuse and domestic violence were reported at the Lagos State Do-mestic And Sexual Violence Agency, the Divisional Police Office in Ajah and the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 2 Lagos was petitioned on the persistent threat to life, abuse and violence before the unfortunate incident.

According to Eriata, “The issue is, what proactive measure was taken by these government agencies before the avoidable incident took place? Why was it difficult for the police to arrest and interrogate Ikechukwu Ogbonna, except because he has a certain retired AIG and former COP of Lagos State as his godfather?

Why did the DPO at the Divisional Police at Ajah Lagos unable to attend to the referral letter from the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency as of the 6th day of September 2022?”.

In claiming that the deceased family has it on record that Ikechukwu Ogbonna has been abusing the late Mrs. Ogbonna and her children during the subsistence of the marriage and before the late Mrs. Ogbonna’s death to the extent of inflicting injury on her nose, face, and other parts of her body, the lawyer said: “That at some point, the mother of the deceased 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 the case was referred to the Divisional Police Station at Ajah and the late Abimbola was also referred to the Agencies’ in-house psychologist”.

The late Mrs. Ogbonna died of burns sustained during an alleged domestic violence incident at their home in Lekki, Lagos State.