Police Arraign Woman, 3 Children over Death of Retired Officer

Pat Stephen/

Police authorities have arraigned the wife of a retired officer and her three children over the mysterious death of their father.

Officers at the Force Criminal and Intelligence Department  (FCIID) Alagbon, in Lagos, identified the deceased officer as retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Joseph  Idehen.

Idehen, who died at 64, had six wives and 11 children.

He allegedly died mysterious after his daughter known as Ruth reportedly gave him food in 2016, at his Number 5, Odetola Street home, in Alagbado, Lagos, barely one year after he retired from the police service, family members told the police.

They said that efforts to conduct an autopsy to find out the cause of his sudden death had proved abortive as four of his 11 children with their mother, took his corpse to an unknown destination and buried him.

The extended family members said they reported the death to the police at the FCIID following several failed efforts by his other children and family members who wanted detectives to exhume his corpse.

The Commissioner of Police at General Investigations Section FCIID Annex  Alagbon Lagos ordered the arrest of the siblings  and their mother.

He later ordered the Homicide Unit  to arraign the accused in a suit marked LD/ 6510E/2018 at the Criminal  Division, Federal High Court, Igbosere, in Lagos, in line with the directives of the Inspector General of Police on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The siblings  were identified as one Samuel Idehen, Michael Idehen, Ruth Idehen and their mother Mrs Taiwo Idehen, who was described as a Pastor at the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry Ishawo-Ikorodu Lagos.

The accused according to the police are facing a six-count charge bordering on murder, forgery of death certificate, falsification of documents and theft of  millions of naira from the deceased’s bank accounts.

Count 1 says : “Taiwo Idehen (his estranged wife)  Samuel Idehen, Michael Idehen,(his sons) and their sister Ruth Idehen on or about the 4th of July, 2016 at number 5 Odetola Street off Merit Road Alagbado Lagos in the Lagos judicial division did conspired to kill one Joseph Idehen contrary to Section 233 of the Criminal Law Ch.C17 Col 3 Laws of Lagos state 2015.”

Count 2 says: “The accused forged the death certificate with the intent that it may be used or acted upon  as death certificate of one Joseph Idehen property of the Ota General Hospital thereby committed forgery, contrary to section 365(3)(d) of the Criminal Law Ch.C17 Vol3 Law of Lagos State  2015.”

Count 3 reads: “The accused did use false death certificate to convey the corpse of the deceased Joseph Idehen to Aragba Delta State for burial using false documents contrary to section 366 of the  Criminal Law Ch C17 Vol3 Law of Lagos State 2015.”

Count 4 reads: “That you Michael Idehen sometimes in 2016, at First Bank Lagos, in Lagos Judicial Division did withdrew the sum of N286,000 from Account Number 3002677898 that belonged to the deceased Joseph Idehen thereby committed stealing contrary to Section 287(5) of the Criminal Law Ch C17 Vol3 Laws of Lagos State 2015.”

Count 5 says: “The accused sometimes in 2016 at Zenith Bank, Lagos judicial division, did withdrew the sum of N2.1million from Account Number 2005882038 that belonged to the deceased Joseph Idehen and stole same thereby committing stealing contrary to section 287(5) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.”

Count 6 reads: “That the accused on or about the 4th of June 2016 at 5 Odetola Street, off Merit Road Alagbado, Lagos murdered one Joseph Idehen an offence contrary to section 223 of the Criminal Law Ch C17 Vol3 Law of Lagos State 2015.”

A police source told NewsmakersNG: “Before they were arraigned, they were released on bail so they could take the policemen to where they buried their father, but when we got to the village they buried the deceased, unknown to us they had hired thugs and with the help of some of the villagers, they attacked the team of policemen and other extended family members who had gone to exhume the corpse.

“The policemen escaped by God’s grace that day and since then the accused had gone into hiding and efforts to arrest them have been abortive as they have gone into hiding.”

It was gathered that the accused jumped bail and failed to appear in court prompting Justice Akintoye J of High Court 51, Igbosere to issue a warrant for their arrest and for police officers to ensure that they appear in court on the resumed hearing of the case on May 8th 2018, but the police have not been able to arrest the accused.

Investigation shows that police have not been able to effect the order of the Judge to arrest the accused.

Family calls for justice.

In a swift reaction to the order,  family members and other children of DSP Idehen are calling on the police authority to ensure justice by carrying out the order of the Judge by arresting the accused to face the law.

A senior cousin of the deceased Pa Sunday Ogomo, who spoke on behalf of the extended family members said:
“We got information from the deceased daughter, Ruth Idehen, on July 4, 2016, that she was with her father for her marriage introduction, but she fed her father who died shortly after.

“She told us she had deposited the corpse in the hospital morgue. We were shocked because retired SP Joseph Idehen had on the previous day attended to his daughter Ruth’ s wedding introduction. He showed no sign of illness. His young son, called Precious, who was living with him had gone to fix a phone for the deceased but when he came home, he found his father rolling on the floor and in excruciating pains.

“He said he tried to call Ruth who went upstairs after feeding his father. At this point, a neighbour heard the noise and came to assist. They took Joseph Idehen to the private hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival. His daughter, Ruth, took the corpse and deposited it in the Mortuary at State Hospital Ota, Ogun State. Our brother had other relatives living around but strangely Ruth did not inform them before taking him to the morgue.

“When the family members came to the house, they found Ruth’s mother, Pastor Taiwo, who had left the deceased more than 20 years ago in the house at Alagbado.

“Joseph Idehen had elder sisters and brothers , and extended family members . We are from Evboesi village, Orhonmwon local government area of Edo State. We called a family meeting inviting Ruth to come and explain how the father died; her brothers came but she did not show up.

“We called several meetings, but she still did not come. We were surprised that she got married 12 days after her father’s death. We saw the photos of her marriage on Facebook. This is sad.

“We went with the police to the village where they claimed they buried him, but these children and their mother who is a pastor with Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry at Ishawo Ikorodu hired thugs and the villagers and they attacked us and the police. It was God that saved us from being killed that day.”

Scot Idehen, the first son of the deceased said, “My father had 11 children from six women. I am the first son of the family. I reside in Ghana and immediately returned to Nigeria after I learnt of my father’s death. All my efforts to see my father’s corpse proved abortive. My father married my mother. He had children from six other women but I am the first son. My father was a very generous man and a philanthropist. He was the Chairman of our Village Association in Lagos. He helped many people but we are sad that he died and some of his children from a third wife, Pastor Taiwo, whom he had separated from for 30 years connived with her children Samuel, Emmanuel, Michael and Ruth, used soldiers to hijack his corpse  while we are trying to get his autopsy done and they took him outside our village in Edo State and buried him like a chicken somewhere in Delta State.

“My father told me that he loved to be buried in his house at Alagbado. I saw the photos of his burial on Facebook and I was  in shock. My relatives, my father’s brothers and sisters and other children were not present at the burial. In the Obituary they printed, they stated that my father is from Delta State, but he is from Edo State. We want his corpse exhumed and autopsy conducted as we suspect that he was murdered .

“Our lawyers wrote a letter to the State Hospital at Ota Ogun State placing a caveat on the release of the body, but the corpse was released to them and they hurriedly went to bury him. These children and their mother also forged a death certificate and falsified documents which they used to withdraw millions from our late father’s account. They have taken over his property and sent his tenants away, and they are collecting rents.

“I want police to arrest them. They should also exhume the corpse so we can conduct an autopsy to know cause of his death. We want to give him a befitting burial.”

When contacted to give their own side of the story, Samuel and Michael Idehen said they had the right to bury their father.

Samuel said, “I am the first son. I and my siblings have buried our father. We don’t need any family to attend our father’s burial.”

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