Rivers: Family Decries Police Harassment Over Late Mother’s Corpse

A family in Rivers State has expressed concerns over alleged intimidation by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, regarding the corpse of their mother, Late Mrs. Stella Odogwu, which has since been laid to rest.

The Odogwu family in Omoku Town, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, stated that they have not found peace following continued police intimidation after the burial of their mother, adding that the police have consistently disregarded court orders on the matter.

Carole Odogwu-Umeda, speaking on behalf of the family during a press conference in Port Harcourt, revealed that the police arrested her, alleging that she and her siblings stole the remains of their mother.

Odogwu-Umeda disclosed that the last child of their parents, Mrs. Queeneth Prince-Jaja, insisted on burying the remains of their mother alone. Still, the family insisted it must be a joint process according to the tradition of their people.

She noted that during the burial, Queeneth, allegedly sponsored by a politician interested in buying their late mother’s property, brought police and arrested her elder sister, Ureh Akidu, and the late woman’s driver, taking them to Abuja.

Odogwu-Umeda said, “We reported a matter of burglary and stealing of our late mother’s property to Alakahia Police Division, but they claimed it’s a family matter. However, at the police station, I was unlawfully detained for six days over my mother’s corpse, despite court orders.”

Ureh Akidu, elder sister to the late Stella, expressed her distress, stating that she has been stranded in Port Harcourt since coming from Lagos for her sister’s burial. She claimed the police arrested and maltreated her, saying, “Police do not want to obey what the court has said.”

The family’s counsel, Ejimofor Idam, Esq., addressing the press, vowed to move the court to issue a warrant of arrest against all police hierarchies in Abuja for disregarding court orders. Idam stated that the family would take legal action against the police, noting that it’s a crime to disobey a court order.

Idam said, “We are going to move the court to issue a warrant of arrest to police if this situation persists because it is a crime to disobey the order of court. It is frustrating our clients. My clients are not sleeping at night. They are afraid that they could be arrested and taken to Abuja.”

When contacted, Mrs. Prince-Jaja said she would respond at her convenience.

The Rivers State Police Command said that the matter was being handled in Abuja.

Efforts to get the Force Headquarters to react proved abortive as calls and text messages to the Forces Spokesman, Adejobi Olumuyiwa, were not responded to.