Crime/Social Justice
Edo employer struggles to explain strange death at work, sue widow, Police
Written By: Emmanuel Uti
11 May 2025 05:38 AM
Benin, Edo – Valentine Oyemike, the owner of Valchi Foods and suspect in the death of Fidelis Osaghae, a staff of Valchi Foods, has filed a lawsuit against Esther Osaghae, the wife of the deceased, and ASP Femi Adelogba.
He is seeking N1 billion in damages.
Oyemike also sued Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja, as the first and second respondents.
In the suit filed on February 25 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Oyemike sued on behalf of himself, Owiku Tracy and Cyprian Saamoyal, his employees who were also colleagues of the deceased.
Oyemike, through the suit, asked the court to bar the respondents from further harassing or detaining him and his employees on grounds of suspicion or any purported investigation.
WHY THE LAWSUIT?
Many questions, few answers. Was he killed? Did the police make any arrests? Is there an attempt to conceal his death? No one can answer except the police, who investigate and tell the public what they find. For now, Fidelis Osaghae’s death is still shrouded in secrecy or what many believe to be an attempt at concealing the truth.
On July 29, 33-year-old Fidelis Osaghae left for work at 2:30 am immediately after he had returned from work because Oyemike, who is also a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC), ordered him to.
Esther, Osaghae’s wife, told FIJ her husband asked her not to bolt the doors because he would be back shortly. She did as instructed, expecting him to return, but he never did. At 5 am, she woke up but did not find her husband in bed. She became worried.
She dialled Osaghae’s line, and it rang 12 times, but he did not take the calls. He also did not call back. This was unusual behaviour because Osaghae knew how worried she would become if he did not take her calls, Esther explained.
“I had to call Tracy, his supervisor, to find out what was happening. When she answered, she said ‘Everything was under control’. I asked what was under control, but the call dropped. I called Tracy again more than 10 times, but she didn’t respond. Some minutes to 6 am, his boss called. In a commanding tone, he asked me to show up at a hospital far from where we stay and from his office,” Esther told FIJ.
AT THE HOSPITAL
Esther, still nursing her newborn, couldn’t leave the house, so her sister Mabel went to the hospital with neighbours. There, after identifying Oyemike, Mabel confronted him, but he refused to speak to her.
Upon insisting, he opened his car to reveal Fidelis Osaghae’s lifeless body. Mabel noticed bloodstains, drag marks on his feet, and bulging neck veins, prompting further questions Oyemike avoided. A woman nearby eventually whispered that Osaghae had been brought in dead and rejected by the hospital. When police arrived, they declared the matter theirs.
Mabel and the neighbours insisted the body be taken to the Edo State Teaching Hospital mortuary. At the mortuary, police attempted to take custody of the corpse, but Mabel refused, demanding to handle the deposition herself. While the body was being prepared, she saw dark patches and pronounced veins on Osaghae’s chest, suggesting he had been physically mishandled.
POLICE NARRATIVE AND AUTOPSY QUESTIONS
After Osaghae’s death, the police in Auchi claimed — without investigation — that he had committed suicide. They said he left his wedding ring at work and had filed a petition against his wife. The deceased’s family, however, disputed this version of events and escalated the matter with help from the Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria and Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), all of whom petitioned the police and insisted on an autopsy.
During the autopsy process, the family grew suspicious after discovering that a pathologist initially hired had switched sides to represent Oyemike.
The autopsy revealed signs of blunt force trauma, including fresh blood on Osaghae’s head. This contradicted claims that he had simply ingested SNIPER insecticide.
While the official report cited asphyxiation and chemical poisoning as the cause of death, a professor of chemical pathology reviewed the findings and told FIJ the autopsy was inconclusive and poorly conducted. He called for a repeat of the process, citing major gaps and suggesting that the evidence did not support a clear case of suicide.
ANSWERS ABSENT; LAWSUIT PRESENT
In an affidavit sworn at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Oyemike claimed Osaghae was confirmed dead at the hospital because he had taken a “poisonous substance”, but human rights organisations interested in the matter such as the AFF, FIDA Nigeria and WRAPA disagree. They want a repeat of the autopsy.
He is seeking N1 billion in damages.
Oyemike also sued Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja, as the first and second respondents.
In the suit filed on February 25 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Oyemike sued on behalf of himself, Owiku Tracy and Cyprian Saamoyal, his employees who were also colleagues of the deceased.
Oyemike, through the suit, asked the court to bar the respondents from further harassing or detaining him and his employees on grounds of suspicion or any purported investigation.
WHY THE LAWSUIT?
Many questions, few answers. Was he killed? Did the police make any arrests? Is there an attempt to conceal his death? No one can answer except the police, who investigate and tell the public what they find. For now, Fidelis Osaghae’s death is still shrouded in secrecy or what many believe to be an attempt at concealing the truth.
On July 29, 33-year-old Fidelis Osaghae left for work at 2:30 am immediately after he had returned from work because Oyemike, who is also a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC), ordered him to.
Esther, Osaghae’s wife, told FIJ her husband asked her not to bolt the doors because he would be back shortly. She did as instructed, expecting him to return, but he never did. At 5 am, she woke up but did not find her husband in bed. She became worried.
She dialled Osaghae’s line, and it rang 12 times, but he did not take the calls. He also did not call back. This was unusual behaviour because Osaghae knew how worried she would become if he did not take her calls, Esther explained.
“I had to call Tracy, his supervisor, to find out what was happening. When she answered, she said ‘Everything was under control’. I asked what was under control, but the call dropped. I called Tracy again more than 10 times, but she didn’t respond. Some minutes to 6 am, his boss called. In a commanding tone, he asked me to show up at a hospital far from where we stay and from his office,” Esther told FIJ.
AT THE HOSPITAL
Esther, still nursing her newborn, couldn’t leave the house, so her sister Mabel went to the hospital with neighbours. There, after identifying Oyemike, Mabel confronted him, but he refused to speak to her.
Upon insisting, he opened his car to reveal Fidelis Osaghae’s lifeless body. Mabel noticed bloodstains, drag marks on his feet, and bulging neck veins, prompting further questions Oyemike avoided. A woman nearby eventually whispered that Osaghae had been brought in dead and rejected by the hospital. When police arrived, they declared the matter theirs.
Mabel and the neighbours insisted the body be taken to the Edo State Teaching Hospital mortuary. At the mortuary, police attempted to take custody of the corpse, but Mabel refused, demanding to handle the deposition herself. While the body was being prepared, she saw dark patches and pronounced veins on Osaghae’s chest, suggesting he had been physically mishandled.
POLICE NARRATIVE AND AUTOPSY QUESTIONS
After Osaghae’s death, the police in Auchi claimed — without investigation — that he had committed suicide. They said he left his wedding ring at work and had filed a petition against his wife. The deceased’s family, however, disputed this version of events and escalated the matter with help from the Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria and Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), all of whom petitioned the police and insisted on an autopsy.
During the autopsy process, the family grew suspicious after discovering that a pathologist initially hired had switched sides to represent Oyemike.
The autopsy revealed signs of blunt force trauma, including fresh blood on Osaghae’s head. This contradicted claims that he had simply ingested SNIPER insecticide.
While the official report cited asphyxiation and chemical poisoning as the cause of death, a professor of chemical pathology reviewed the findings and told FIJ the autopsy was inconclusive and poorly conducted. He called for a repeat of the process, citing major gaps and suggesting that the evidence did not support a clear case of suicide.
ANSWERS ABSENT; LAWSUIT PRESENT
In an affidavit sworn at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Oyemike claimed Osaghae was confirmed dead at the hospital because he had taken a “poisonous substance”, but human rights organisations interested in the matter such as the AFF, FIDA Nigeria and WRAPA disagree. They want a repeat of the autopsy.
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