Widow of policeman beaten to death by soldiers cries out

Ayodele Olalere

Mrs. Favour Orukpe, widow of the late Monday Orukpe, an Inspector in the Nigerian Police will never forget August 3, 2022. It was the day she lost her husband and the breadwinner of the family in the most brutal manner.

Her husband, Monday, a police officer at the Trade Fair police station, Lagos was beaten to death by some 30 soldiers from the Ojo Military Cantonment. The news of the dastardly act went viral on social media, attracting condemnations from many Nigerians.

For the tragic policeman’s 40-year-old wife Favour, she has a gloomy future ahead without her loving husband and father of their four children.

When Monday left their home in Sango Ota, Ogun State for work on that fateful day, neither his wife nor their children had an inkling that it was going to be the last day they would see him alive.

The widow, who hails from Edo State, spoke with The Nigerian Xpress on the gruesome death of her husband and how she got the sad news.

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“On the fateful Wednesday,” she began with an emotion-laden voice, “when he woke up, he said he was going to work. Normally every day, by noon, he would call to ask after the children and by 2 pm, he would also call. He would always tell me wherever he was going from work.

“So on that day, at noon, he didn’t call me. I was thinking he was busy. At 2 pm again, he didn’t call me, I still thought he was busy. I called him but he didn’t pick up but his phone was ringing. By 5 pm again, I called and he didn’t pick up. I kept calling till 12 midnight, but he didn’t pick up and didn’t call back. I became very worried. When it was some minutes to 4 am the following day, his phone went off. I started having a feeling all was not well.”

Fearing that something terrible could have happened to her husband, Favour said she called one of his colleagues who, in an attempt not to give any hint that something was amiss, told her the husband was charging his phone.

“I looked for the phone number of one of his colleagues and called him. I told him I had been calling my husband but he wasn’t picking up his call. He told me my husband was charging his phone and went out and that he would tell him to call me when he comes back.

“Around 6:30 pm, I called him again to ask if my husband had not come back. He said he had come back and was going to give him the phone to call me but he never called back.

So, I called the admin office of the station and told them I had been calling my husband but no response. They said all was well and that he went on special duty across the river with some of his colleagues. I told them my husband cannot go on special duty without telling me. Immediately, I sensed something was wrong. I called my husband’s brother and told him I don’t think all was well, that I had not heard from my husband but his office was just pushing me up and down.

“He said he would call me back. Later, I just saw my husband’s brother and his friends come to our house and they broke the news to me that he was dead. The following morning, I went to their station and they took me to the morgue to see his corpse.”

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After realising that her husband had died, Favour said she inquired about the circumstances of his death and the reply she got was shocking.

“They said he was at his duty post and there was a company behind their station. A truck was coming out of the company so my husband decided to assist the driver to stop vehicles on the road so the truck could come out. He didn’t know there was a vehicle with soldiers in the traffic. So, the soldiers came down and questioned my husband about why he stopped the vehicles. Suddenly, they started beating him. He was even begging them, trying to make peace with the soldiers but they kept beating him until they beat him to death. The soldiers were about 30.”

Since the incident, she lamented that neither the police nor the army authorities have yet to reach out to her. More pathetic is that she has developed high blood pressure which is also threatening her life. To feed the children has become difficult as she is nursing a three-month-old baby.

According to her, the family had just moved to their new house in Sango, Ogun State and were making arrangements for the dedication of their fourth child who clocked three months and two days on the day the father died.

“They (police and army) have not said anything about our welfare or his burial. They said they are still investigating.

“My husband was the breadwinner of the family. I am not working. I was doing petty trading before but when I gave birth to the last child, I stopped. We were preparing for the dedication of the new baby when he died. He died on the 3rd and the baby completed three months on the 5th. Right now, my blood pressure is high. I have been on drugs since the incident happened. I have three other children. The eldest is 13 years old, the second is 11 while the third is seven.

“Right now, I have no plans for his burial because the police and the army are not saying anything. That is why I am crying to the government to help me. I know my husband cannot come back but I can’t feed these children alone. Even to feed now is a problem. It’s his friends that have been helping us with feeding money like N1,000 or N2,000. He was 45 years old.”

The troubled mother of four described her husband as “a peaceful man” and “trustworthy.”

“He was a very quiet and peaceful man. He was loving and truthful. He would always tell you where he was going. I don’t know how I will survive without him. We were married in 2008. He was an orphan and was the last born of the family. He was even the one taking care of his brothers too.

“The children are aware their father is dead and keep asking me if their daddy is not coming back again. All their mates are doing holiday lessons now but they can’t go. I am crying to the government to help me, I can’t train the children alone.”