By Dinah Uwese
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This is a tragic case monitor by this reporter of Spyronews on an X account of Mr Akin Fadeyi who owns Akin Fadeyi Foundation an organization founded in 2016 to fight against corruption, police brutality etc. that’s involved Mr. Oyemike Valentine, who runs a VALCHI Hotel, Restaurant and one of his worker Mr. Fidelis Osaghae according to Akin the case was received on Tuesday, 1st August 2024 on the FlagIt App, an app created by the Akin Fadeyi Foundation, an
organization which is founded in 2016., for reporting official corruption in Nigeria. We were briefed by Mrs. Esther Osaghae, that her Husband, Mr. Fidelis Osaghae has died under suspicious circumstances. On our further interaction, Esther Osaghae said her Husband was an employee of Mr. Oyemike Valentine, who runs a VALCHI Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreational center in Auchi Edo State Nigeria. She said her Husband returned home from work at 2.30am and had to dash back to work at that dark night because, his “Boss told him to bring something”. He kept an Okada (Motorbike) waiting and told the wife, he was rushing back and would soon be back…at 2.30am! He had earlier worked from 1pm to that time 2.30am
From 5am when her Husband was not back, Esther began to call the Husband but she was unable to reach him. The wife became distressed and decided to call one Tracey, who is a supervisor at the same facility where the deceased worked.
Tracey was alleged to have assured the wife that “everything is under control” and ended the call on her. At about 6am, our client finally received a call from Mr. Oyemike Valentine, the deceased’s boss, who told her to come to Favour Hospital, Afasho, Edo State. Esther’s Sister was with her at the time and offered to go to the hospital in place of Esther, considering her suckling baby. At the hospital, Esther’s sister met the dead body of Fidelis in the car of Mr. Oyemike Valentine, the deceased’s boss. She said the hospital did not take the body because he was BID ( bis in die means twice (two time in latin) which means Seen on a prescription or on prescription. This was how Esther Osaghae had to go herself to identify the body of her husband and noticed strange large black patch from chest to neck and dry blood stain on the chest of the deceased.
Fidelis’ Trouser was also torn and we don’t understand why they tore his trousers revealing his boxers. According to the bereaved wife, the DPO of the Auchi division, Edo State, despite the visible injury on the body of the deceased told her and her Sister that he suspects his wife and her elder sister as the murderers of Fidelis! He said Valentine Oyemike, Fidelis Boss who brought him dead to the hospital had already briefed him that Fidelis “committed suicide by drinking sniper” and based on this, he believes Oyemike.
Our worry is, why did he have to come back to the office before drinking sniper to kill himself when he already got home at 2.30am? Why did he commit suicide and the Police were not invited to the scene but the Boss ferried a dead staff in his own vehicle? What happened to Fidelis body with dark patches and what looks like blood on his chest to neck is to stomach. Was he tortured to death and forced to gulp sniper? Why was his wife not informed as she has called the work place earlier which one Tracy assured her everything was fine? Why did the DPO embrace just one account of suspicious homicide without investigation? Same DPO said it was Fidelis father who declined investigation. Fidelis father told us he gave up asking for investigation because the DPO
made every move to discourage him and actually showed him how he had written “suicide” on the case file of his son. He said since close to two weeks of this incidence, the DPO made no arrest and was only providing cover for Valchi Food Boss, Valentine Oyemike.
Let us be clear, we are not accusing Valentine Oyemike of murder. This is not our job and we believe there is presumption of innocence until the processes of lawful exercise prove otherwise. Nonetheless, based on the background above, it is clear to us
Fidelis Osaghae death is very suspicious and the handling of the matter by the DPO, Auchi Division has been completely mistrustful, if not irresponsible. There are so many bugging questions begging for answers, but a police division where a DPO is quick to jump
in the defence of presumable suspects and hounding the bereaved wife and family should not have a place in our law enforcement processes. With the deceased father saying “the DPO was not showing any willingness to investigate the matter”, @AFFoundationng will bear the expenses for the autopsy and other relevant processes that unravels the mystery behind his son’s death. We have started supporting the father and we seek the support of anyone or institutions who may wish contribute to our efforts in this regard.
It seems the DPO at Auchi Division is exploiting the lack of means or social capital of Fidelis parents and is railroading them into “acceptance of fate” when really his underlying motive was to shield the suspect of this heinous crime of suspicious homicide.
This family have expressed lack of confidence in Edo Command’s capacity to handle this matter impartially and have expressed fear for their lives. This was because even on Tuesday, DPO reiterated that they’re the suspects. We have therefore petitioned the IGP.
We urge the Nigerian Police to kindly do their job, and reassure this poor family that they don’t need to be resourced with “connections” in Nigeria to be able to access an unencumbered path to justice.
We hold no judgement as yet over this matter and this explains why we have handed our petition to the Inspector General of Police which has been acknowledged.