Widow Petitions IGP, Demands Justice Over Husband’s Death

The widow of late Inspector Ahmadu Babayo has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over her husband’s death, alleging that he was unlawfully detained for 35 days and released in a critical medical condition before he died.

In the petition dated October 28, 2026, Mrs Fatima Ibrahim Jalo called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, a serving police officer attached to the State Intelligence Department at the Borno State Police Command headquarters in Maiduguri.

Jalo said her husband was released to her on October 26 in a critical medical condition and subsequently died on October 28 after receiving medical attention in Maiduguri, describing his death as a consequence of the circumstances surrounding his detention and release, urging the police authorities to establish the facts and hold anyone found culpable accountable.

The petitioner also raised concerns over a medical report signed by ACP Nasiru Egga, alleging that the stated cause of death was inconsistent with her husband’s condition when he was released from custody.

She called for an independent forensic review of the report, alongside an independent post-mortem examination to establish the cause and circumstances of the death, while urging the Inspector-General of Police to constitute an investigative panel independent of the officers and police formations named in the petition.

She also requested the preservation and production of custody registers, duty rosters, communications, detention orders, medical records and any available CCTV footage relevant to the case.

Jalo further called for the suspension of the officers under investigation or their removal from positions that could enable them to interfere with the inquiry, pending the outcome of the investigation.

She asked that any officers found culpable face disciplinary action and prosecution by the appropriate authorities, while she also sought compensation and the payment of her late husband’s outstanding entitlements and benefits, as well as protection for her family and potential witnesses against intimidation or reprisals.

The petition cited alleged violations of the constitutional rights to personal liberty, life and dignity, as well as possible offences relating to unlawful detention, abuse of office and culpable homicide.

The widow also stated that her husband had served in the Nigeria Police Force for 23 years, lamenting that his salary for September and October 2026 had been stopped on the directive of the Borno State Commissioner of Police.

Copies of the petition were sent to the Police Service Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the National Security Adviser, and the Senate and House of Representatives committees on police affairs, among other authorities.