Mrs Ngozi Ishiwu-Obodo, wife of a police inspector, Dr Ikechukwu Obodo, who was killed by a speeding convoy, shares with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE her pain of losing her husband and the delay in releasing the footage of how an unidentified person hit and killed him with a vehicle before zooming off

What is your name and where are you from?

I am Ngozi Ishiwu-Obodo. Ishiwu-Obodo is my surname. I am from Opi in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. My husband was from Ologo, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Could you tell us the circumstances that led to your husband’s death?

It was on Sunday, July 5. He was with us on Sunday. Normally, he would come back during the weekends to be with us. Then, he would go back to work on Sundays.

So, he stayed with us until around 7pm. Then, I saw him off. At some point, he told me we would be talking on the phone as usual. Then, he left and I started coming back to the house. Around 8pm, there was something he asked me to buy for our son.

He (our son) was supposed to take graduation photos at school on Monday. So, he asked me to buy some stuff for him on Saturday, and he promised that he would give me the money. My husband was still in the vehicle; even as of 8pm, he was still in the vehicle, going back to his office.

He told me that I should send my account details so that he would send the money to me. As promised, he sent the money to my account at about five minutes to 8pm.

However, around 9pm, I saw his call. I thought he was calling to tell me that he had reached his office. I picked up the call immediately, but it was another person who spoke to me.

The person told me that the owner of the phone had an accident. I shouted and started begging them to help me and take him to a nearby hospital. The man and the people around him said I should start coming there, and that I should not come alone. I became afraid.

Then, I asked them where the incident happened. They said it was along Bisala Road. So, I called one of my brothers who works in Park Lane in Uwani because the place is closer to Park Lane.

I called him and told him that I got a call that my husband was involved in an accident. So, he told me that he would start going there immediately. I ran out of the house, but one of my neighbours called me back when she saw me crying while I was running out of the compound. Then, he drove out his car and took me to the place.

What happened when you got to the scene of the accident?

When we got there, I did not see him because, before we got there, my brother was already there. Some policemen were also there. There were two other people in mufti. I suspected they were the people who called me. So, they said I should go back to the car.

They did not allow me to come out. I was telling them, “Please, I want to see him.” They told me that they were taking him to the hospital. I told the man that I wanted to go to the hospital and be with him. I told them, “He is my husband.”

I didn’t even know that my husband was dead already. They then told the man to drive me home and that I should not stay away from the children. They promised to take care of him at the hospital. I was told that they would arrange for me to come to the hospital the following day.

I came home and was calling them, but they were still telling me that my husband was fine and that the doctors were treating him. That was on Monday morning.

That day, I called my brother and told him that I was coming to the hospital around 6am to see my husband. Then, my brother said that I should not come and that he would come to pick me up. I was still waiting and hoping that my husband was alive, as they had told me earlier.

Did your brother eventually come to meet you?

Yes, my brother came with a lot of people to our house. When he came, he told me that my husband was dead… (Sobs). To be honest with you, up till now, I don’t really know what happened to my husband because of the way the people who saw him described what happened to him. I don’t know what to believe anymore; I don’t know!

Was it just a car? Was it just one car that hit him, left him in that condition, and zoomed off? Or was it something else? I don’t know what to believe. I’m confused.

From what they told you and from what was published online, we learnt that it was a speeding convoy that hit him. Was there anybody who identified the particular vehicle that hit your husband?

I’m not sure. The people who called did not give us any additional information about who hit him or which car hit him. The only thing they told me was that he was involved in an accident. The truth is that some people told me that the road was under CCTV surveillance.

How true is the claim that the incident happened at the front gate of the Government House in Enugu State?

Yes, it happened around that area. It’s close to the Government House. So, my major problem, worry, and confusion right now is that, as I’m talking to you, the CCTV footage has not been released.

If there is any camera covering that area, when will the footage be released? Let’s know exactly what happened to him. Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so. Don’t I have the right, at least, to know what happened to my husband? If that place is under surveillance, why are they hiding the footage?

Have you officially reported the matter to the police?

Yes, my husband’s family did. The only thing they kept telling them was that they were working on it and carrying out an investigation. Nobody has come back with any result or information concerning it.

They don’t know how I am feeling here; they don’t know what I’ve been going through. They don’t know what I go through every moment, trying to figure out what exactly happened. Do they think it has been easy for me? I have children. They have started asking me about it. What do I tell them? How do I explain this situation to them?

How many children do you have?

I have three children.

How old are they?

They are five, three, and one.

What is your occupation?

I am a radiographer.

How old was your husband?

He was 45 years old.

What about you?

I am 36 years old.

How are the children coping with the absence of their dad, and what questions have they been asking?

He normally came back home during weekends when he was alive. So, last weekend, they were all over me, asking, “Why hasn’t daddy come back? Why has he not come back? Where is he?” What do I tell them? If I tell them that he’s not coming back, how do I explain that? How?

Just tell me, how do I explain that?

What was his rank in the Nigeria Police Force?

He was an inspector.

Is it true that he was expecting his promotion before the unfortunate incident happened?

Yes, it is true.

You talked about graduation while you were talking to me earlier.

The first one is in his third year. So, they wanted to take photos to celebrate his graduation because they were not going to have a party. They no longer organise parties for them in nursery schools. They just wanted to take pictures.

Has your husband been buried?

No, he has not.

What are the police saying? Would an autopsy be carried out as part of their investigation?

For now, they have not talked about an autopsy, although my husband’s brother will go there tomorrow to see them and know if there is any outcome from their investigation so far.

Since they have something that we can rely on to know what happened, why can’t they release it? Why are they hiding it? Is it that they know the people who did it and wan” to cover it up? Let them explain and let me know what to believe.

Did you have the opportunity of speaking with any government official on this matter, because of the claim that the incident happened at the front gate of the Government House, which is believed to have surveillance cameras?

No, I have not spoken to any government official.

What about your late husband’s parents?

His biological parents are deceased, but his foster mother is alive. The woman who took care of him is still alive. I am in a very bad state; I really have a lot to do, at least to pretend that I am strong so that she can draw strength from me. She has been informed about it. (Sunday PUNCH)

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