Police Sighted N200,000 In Handbag Of Woman Minutes Before Her Murder By ‘Unknown’ Gunmen In Delta

Fresh facts have emerged over the alleged gruesome murder of the 42 year old woman, Mrs Grace Ogorchukwu Dagbo who was robbed and killed by ‘unknown gunmen’ after policemen on checkpoint impounded her vehicle over failure to provide tinted glass permit.

Human Rights activist and Executive Director, Centre for the vulnerable and the underprivileged, (Centrep), Oghenejabor Ikimi, Esq., in a statement obtained by BIGPEN Online on Sunday, said that the police actually discovered volume of money in the handbag of the woman minutes before she was left at the mercy of supposed armed robbers who later attacked and killed her.

Slamming the police authority with several posers, Ikimi said that one of police officers on duty on the said day actually resisted arrest and later went into hiding after the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke ordered their arrest over death of the woman.
 
Describing the incident as “premeditated”, the human rights lawyer condemned the act in its entirety and call for a public hearing/inquest by the National Human Rights Commission to unravel the entire murder saga particularly the role played by the patrol team attached to the Ovwain Police Station.

Ikimi who said he was briefed by the lone eyewitness to the crime; Miss Oghenenyerhovwo Evon Ngozi Dagbo aged 11 years and the husband of the deceased, Mr. Benjamin Ejiroghene Dagbo gave a chronological details of the incident thus:

“That the deceased, Mrs. Grace Ogorchukwu Dagbo is married to Mr. Benjamin Ejiroghene Dagbo and both are geology graduates from the Delta State University. The deceased is the mother of four children. The deceased is also the Managing-Director of Eve Rental Services, a Company engaged in Event planning, decorations, make-ups and cake designs with office by Express Junction, Ovwian, Delta State.

That on Saturday, 20th July, 2019 at about 6:00pm, Miss Oghenenyerhovwo Dagbo accompanied the deceased to her office by Express Junction, Ovwian to reconcile, arrange materials and collect all payments made for that day before heading for Effurun to convey the fabrics of her company’s decoration from an Event.

That in the course of the above and at about 7:30pm while the deceased was driving her Toyota Sienna Saloon Car with Registration Number AGL 822 EY she decided to drive through the Aladja DSC Flyover by-pass as the main route to the Ovwian Express Junction was under maintenance work.

That while on the above lonely route reputed for criminal activities the duo were flagged down by a Police Patrol team who demanded for the vehicle’s particulars and tinted glass permit. That the deceased promptly gave the said policemen her vehicle particulars but could not immediately give them a copy of her tinted glass permit which the deceased claimed she left at home.                                

That in the process of the above, the duo were ordered out of the said vehicle at gunpoint and same was searched by the policemen including the hand bag of the deceased containing the sum of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira). At that point the said vehicle belonging to the deceased was impounded by the police and was immediately driven away by a policeman while the other policemen and their team leader entered into their patrol van and left the deceased and her daughter stranded in the said lonely route in the dark not minding the danger the duo had been exposed to.

That immediately the policemen entered their patrol van and left the scene, a commercial tricyclist drove from nowhere pretending to aid the above duo.

That immediately the duo entered into the said tricycle that had two other Men at the back, the deceased decided to sit with the rider at the front seat while her daughter sat with the two men at the back.

That after driving some few metres, the deceased was dispossessed of her hand bag and phones and in the confusion that ensured, the deceased was shot on her rib and was forcefully pushed out of the said tricycle alongside her daughter.

That while the deceased was bleeding in the pool of her blood on the bare ground, her daughter was wailing for help which no doubt attracted sympathizers in the area who rushed her to the nearby Lonia Clinic in Ovwian at about 8:00pm with her intestines gushing out wherein Doctors on duty certified the deceased dead.

That at Lonia Clinic, Ovwian the daughter of the deceased pulled a call through a good Samaritan to her father, Mr. Benjamin Ejiroghene Dagbo who raced down to the Clinic and took the lifeless body of his late wife to the Nigeria Police Station, Ovwian where he saw his wife’s Toyota Sienna Car parked in the said Police Station.

That in the process of the above, the then Divisional Police Officer, CSP Anniete Eyoh ordered some of his Men to deposit the corpse of the deceased at the Central Hospital, Warri.

That while at the Central Hospital, Warri the husband of the deceased, Mr. Benjamin E. Dagbo contacted his lawyers at about 10:00pm that night and in turn was advised to call the Delta State Commissioner of Police on phone to narrate his ordeal to the police boss one on one.  

That upon the above, the Commissioner of Police called for a tripartite meeting between the family of the deceased on one hand, the erring Policemen on the second hand and the Police Authority in the State on the third hand, at the Area Command Office, Warri at 10:00am on Monday, 22nd day of July, 2019.

That during the said meeting of Monday, 22nd day of July, 2019 which was presided over by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State C.I.D., DCP Hussein statement was taken from the lone witness, Miss Oghenenyerhovwo Evon Ngozi Dagbo aged 11 years and the arrest of the erring policemen were ordered preparatory to a possible arraignment before an orderly room trial.   

That in the process of arresting the said erring Policemen, one of them evaded arrest but was later apprehended in Sapele where he had gone to hide, before taking him with the others to the State C.I.D, Asaba for further interrogation.

That while briefing the Press, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke, told the Press that late Mrs. Grace Ogorchukwu Dagbo was murdered by unknown gunmen but did not narrate to the Press the absurd role played by the police leading to the brutal murder of the deceased, hence this Press Release to forbade any cover ups by the police authority in the State.

POSERS:
   
The husband of the deceased who is presently mourning the sudden demise of his darling wife and the Dagbo family has raised some posers which the Police Authority in the State are yet to answer.

Why would the Police patrol team after searching the vehicle of the deceased  and had discovered that the deceased had N200,000.00 (Two hundred thousand naira) in her possession suddenly abandoned the deceased and her 11 years old daughter in that lonely route prone to criminal activities that night  in the dark? 

Why would one of the aforesaid Police patrol team members evade arrest only to go and hide in Sapele until he was arrested and taken to the State C.I.D, Asaba?

Why did the said Police patrol team not incident the above impounded vehicle in their Police crime diary on the day of the incident? 

Was it possible for the deceased and her 11 years old daughter to have resisted the invitation of the Police patrol team for them to enter into the vehicle of the  deceased to their Police Station in the said lonely route and in the dark?

Was it professional for the Police patrol team to have abandoned the deceased and her daughter in that dark and lonely route?

We make bold to say that until the above posers are answered, the Dagbo family believes that the Police patrol team were working hand in hand with the above gunmen that murdered their wife and daughter. It is on this note that we are calling on the National Human Rights Commission, Abuja to order a public hearing/inquest into the above dastard murder of the deceased in the interest of public safety and in a bid to avoiding any cover ups and to ensuring that no stone is left unturned as far as this matter is concerned”.