Juliana Francis
 |
| Okonoboh, Oboh and Gladys |
On August 6, a 60-year-old woman, Gladys
Osaigbovo- Omon, sent shivers down the spines of many Nigerians, when she
narrated how her younger sister, Augusta Osaigbovo, residing in United Kingdom
(UK), hired assassins to kill her.
It was further alleged that Augusta hired one
of their cousins, living in Nigeria, a bus driver, Mr. Osaro Okonoboh, to carry
out the dreadful deed.
Augusta, however, who had finally decided to
state her own side of the story, claimed that Gladys had been feeding Nigerians
pack of lies.
She claimed that Gladys and other family
members weaved their net of lies over her to tarnish her reputation in UK
because she stopped being generous with her money.
It would be recalled that while fielding
questions from journalists after the deed was found out and allegedly aborted
by policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Okonoboh alleged that
he was contacted by Augusta, to find a killer that would silence Gladys.
The police insisted that when they got wind
of the assassination plot, two of their men went undercover, aborted the
killing and arrested Okonoboh with his friend Lucky Oboh
Gladys said: “My younger sister, Augusta,
took my daughter to UK. When she was taking her, she didn’t ask me for money.
But when they got there, she started demanding money from me. She said I should
pay her for taking my daughter overseas. Augusta prepared fake travelling
papers for my daughter. When she got there, she was not able to get any good
job. Augusta wanted my daughter to work as a prostitute, which she refused.
“Since then, Augusta has not been speaking
with me. She then went to hire people to kill me. But God revealed this to me.
She used UK Police against my daughter, but everything turned against her. I
called and asked if she used police against my daughter, who is actually her
niece. She told me that they would return my daughter’s dead body to me in
Nigeria. I said God forbid!”
Gladys said that those hired by Okonoboh to
kill her, couldn’t carry out the deed because of her nice behavior towards
them.
Her words: “They said that because I was good
to them, they couldn’t carry out the deed. When they asked Okonoboh why he
wanted to kill me, he said it was pure business. That was how we contacted the
police.”
The suspects were said to have been arrested
in Benin, Edo State. According to Okonoboh, his greed led him into taking sides
with Augusta to contract people to kill Gladys.
He said: “Augusta called me one day, saying
that Gladys’s daughter caused her a lot of trouble in UK. She said that Gladys,
when she was told of the issue, took sides with her daughter. This angered
Augusta. It was Augusta that took Gladys’ daughter to UK, for a better life.
Augusta insisted that I should assist her to kill Gladys.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police,
Imohimi Edgal, said on July 26, the police rounded up the gang that was
planning to assassinate Gladys.
He said: “The crux of the matter was a case
of human trafficking gone awry. The eldest is Gladys. However, a time came when
Gladys begged her younger sister, Augusta, to take her daughter, Mercy Omon,
overseas for better life. While in the UK, it dawned on Mercy that her aunt is
a leader of a prostitution ring and had recruited her into prostitution. Mercy
refused to submit herself to prostitution, prompting Augusta to give her up to
police authorities in the UK. Mercy wriggled out of the trouble and convinced
the UK police that her travail was caused by Augusta who brought her to London
with job promises unknown to her that she had ulterior motives. The police now
turned against Augusta and jailed her. When Augusta finished her jail term, she
complained to her sister Gladys, that Mercy, who she brought from the village
to help, has ruined her. Feeling that Gladys was supporting Mercy, Augusta
decided to hire assassins to eliminate her sister.”
According to Imohimi, police got a wind of
the plans to kill Gladys and planted two agents,’ Igbinedion Ogbevon and Success
Ehiosun, to play along with the hired assassins.
However, how the incident, which happened in
Benin, came to be handled by Igando Police Station in Lagos State is yet
unclear.
Augusta, in a petition dated August 17,
requested the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, to get a
crack team of detectives attached to the IGP’s Special Intelligence Response
Team (IRT), led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr Abba Kyari, to
carry out thorough investigations into the allegations levelled against her.
My story by Augusta
Attempting
to explain the root cause of her problem with her sister, Augusta said: “I am
making this complaint with deep wounds in my heart and therefore asking the IGP
for a comprehensive investigation so that my reputation and integrity severely
tarnished by Mr. Edgal Imohimi can be restored.
“It
saddens me that my hard earned reputation and integrity is being rubbished in
this ridiculous manner; particularly by the Nigeria Police which is supposed
to, by its statutory responsibilities, regulations, professional ethics, have
investigated thoroughly before embarking on public prosecution and judgment.
“The
major actors in what I would regard as orchestrated and organized drama are my
family members. While Gladys is my elder sister, Osaro Okonoboh, the paraded
suspect, is my cousin.
“Ironically,
this gang-up and frame-up by some of my family members is not the first of its
kind. It actually started in 2012, when Mercy, Gladys’ daughter that I took to
the UK and who was staying with me, framed me up, linking me with human
trafficking.”
‘Metropolitan police
investigated me for six months’
She
explained that when Mercy, Gladys made allegations of human trafficking against
her, the British police chose to carry out thorough investigation.
Augusta
narrated: “The British Metropolitan Police did what the Lagos Policemen failed
to do. They carried out pain-taking investigations for six months. I was only
invited whenever my attention was needed. I was never detained, prosecuted or
jailed as alleged by Imohimi.
“At
the end of the investigation, I was cleared of all allegations and issued a
certificate to that effect. Imohimi, without conducting any investigation
criminalized me. That some of my family members decided to condescend to this
level is understandable based on their selfish motives, but that the Lagos
Police Command as represented by the CP and the officers involved, could be
part of the actors in the movie script is baffling, shocking, and disgraceful.”
‘Roles played by Lagos
Command policemen’
Augusta
insisted that all the policemen that allegedly acted out the script to shame
her, should be probe.
Her
words: “The officers should explain why they agreed to play a role in this
conspiracy theory because all the explanations the Police provided did not
add-up. My worry like many Nigerians abroad, is the role the police played in
this drama and what could be the intention of the police officers involved?
“My
family wants to bring me down at all cost because I put a stop to sacrificing
my entire life to providing for their financial needs. They had been draining
me for 18 of my 23 years in the U.K. More troubling is the involvement of the
Lagos Police Command. I have grown up children now that I need to take care of.
The conduct of policemen in Lagos State falls
short of standard of policemen versed in intelligence gathering and
investigation as exhibited by the teams mentioned above. I am a certified
social worker in the U.K and before you become one, you must have been
investigated and cleared by the security agencies in that country.
“This
latest frame-up in which the Lagos State Police is playing a prominent role, is
a grand plan to extort money from me with the believe that Nigerians abroad are
very rich in hard currencies. They were
busy demanding money from the suspect and the family.
“I want to say without fear of any
contradiction that all the allegations made against me by Imohimi, the prime suspect, Okonoboh
and Gladys are far from the truth. I have never at
any point in time, place or through any means of communication contracted
either the suspects to harm, kidnap or kill Gladys. I
have lived in the UK for more than 20 years with my husband and children. In
the past 22 years, I have only visited Nigeria twice.”
‘The genesis of troubles with my
family’
Augusta
explains that Gladys is truly her elder sister, being her mother’s first
daughter, while Mercy is Gladys’ daughter. She also said that Okonoboh is her
cousin, but a cheat and a fraudster.
Augusta
said: “I spent my early life staying with Gladys. I left her place in Benin
after my Junior Secondary school education. I spent 13 years of my life with
her in Benin, Edo State. I left her place for my brother’s, Anthony Osaigbevo’s
in Lagos where I completed my secondary education before I travelled to the UK
in 1994 where I completed my university education.
“Ever
since I left Nigeria, I have assisted Gladys and her seven children, especially
Newton. Newton graduated from the University of Benin and currently working
with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). I took care of her as my
mother while seeing to the education of the children. I don’t know where I went
wrong.
“I
was committed to her and her children up till six years ago, precisely 2012,
when I decided to part ways. My first visit to Nigeria was in 2007, and when I
came, I was shocked that in spite of all my financial commitment and support to
Gladys over the years, she was still in abject poverty. She pleaded that I should
further help her by taking one of her children to the UK. I told her I couldn’t
do that immediately because of finance.
“I
felt I had to double my financial obligations towards her and the children.
This culminated in them moving to their own house in 2011. Before then, they
were staying in a rented apartment that I was paying for. I also contributed my
own quota to the building of the house.”
Mercy’s journey to UK and
human trafficking allegations
Augusta
explained that she later heard that Gladys’s daughter, Mercy got married, had a
baby, which died.
She
stated: “In 2008, Mercy had a baby but few months later, the baby died. Mercy’s
husband, Nelson, travelled to Libya with the intention to join his sister in
Italy. But in Libya, Nelson was critically sick and I had to send money to
Nelson and encouraged him to return to Nigeria to enable him receive medical
attention. He returned to Nigeria in 2009 but unfortunately he died.
“Mercy
married in 2007, had a baby in 2008, the baby died same year while the husband
died the following year. She was just 26 years old. I cried, it was very sad
and I was not comfortable with her predicament. Mercy is the fourth child. I
raised all Gladys’ children, grew up with them till I left Benin.
“After
Nelson’s death, I thought of how to support Mercy. Before her marriage with her
late husband, she was training to become a hairstylist but couldn’t complete it
as a result of her marriage. I suggested to Mercy to go and complete it since
her husband was dead, so that she could join me in the UK.
“She
completed her hairstylist training in 2011 and then she joined me in the UK in
late 2011. She secured British visa and collected her passport. I sent money to
her for the preparation and to buy her a ticket. I arranged her coming to join
me in the UK. The fact that Mercy lost her child and husband almost the same
time promoted my intention to help her as urgent as I deemed fit despite the
fact that I was not that buoyant financially. If Mercy’s husband had not died,
she would still be in Nigeria because I didn’t have the resources.
“After
Mercy came to the UK, I assisted her in getting a Job at a saloon, Linda Hair Salon.
She also had a part-time job of taking someone’s child to school every morning.
The application Mercy submitted in regularizing her immigration status was
found faulty and was not accepted.
“The
British Police came looking for her at my place. Then she was arrested and
detained. Mercy and her family blamed me. At that point of time, her visa had
expired. The arrest was 10 months after her coming to the UK and her visa was
only six months. They detained her with the hope of deporting her to Nigeria.
“At
that point, Mercy, facing deportation, brought me into it. She told the British
Police that I had trafficked her from Nigeria and that she was been lured into
prostitution. She made all those allegations just to avoid deportation. She
told them I was a human trafficker, who brought her to the UK with fraudulent
documents. She said I would bring men to my home and that they would abuse her
sexually, and that I would collect the money.
“Mercy
was arrested on July 1, 2012. Incidentally, that was the same day I gave birth to
my 4th child. The police came to my home on August 14, 2013, and
told me that an allegation of human trafficking had been made against me. At the police station, I was asked series of
questions like; is Mercy a witch? Did Mercy’s husband’s family accused her of
being a witch for killing her husband? Did I take her to the shrine before
bringing her to the UK? Did I ask Mercy to pay me 50,000 dollars?
“After
questioning me, I was asked to go home and to report at the station whenever my
attention was needed. I reported there for about five times because the
investigation lasted for six months. The last time I saw the police, the
officer in charge namely DC Richardson, he gave me a report of the investigation
which completely exonerated me, expressly stating that I had no case to answer
and that I was no longer required to surrender and testify. I also have a
letter from my solicitor in support of the British Police clearance.
“I
was never detained, taken to court or even jailed as a result of the false
allegation made against me by Mercy contrary to what Imohimi told Nigerians. I
made a decision not to have anything to do with Gladys and her children.
“While
I was at the hospital after my baby delivery, Gladys called and threatened me.
She also said that I should ensure that her daughter remained in the U.K and
not deported.”
‘Why I had issues with my
elder brother’
Augusta
had earlier mentioned her brother, Anthony Osaigbevo, living at Mushin, who she
also stayed with before travelling overseas. She alleged that he was part of
the gang up against her.
Augusta
recounted: “Before now, my brother had issues with me. I bought him a jeep in
2013. I gave him 6000 pounds then to do that. I
have to renegotiate my mortgage to enable me raise the money, yet he was not
satisfied. My brother insisted I sponsor his first son to have his Master’s
Degree in the U.S, I told him I couldn’t afford it. I told him I could help to
get him a visa to the United States; I wanted to sponsor his son to the U.S
without paying for his master degree course. I told him I could sponsor his son
with the visitor’s visa, but he insisted that it has to be student visa that
will enable him get resident permit probably through marriage.
“I
explained that I was paying for my own school fees for my master’s degree and
that my daughter would be enrolling into the university in September. My
brother insisted that I have to sponsor his son’s education in the U.S. He
opposed my suggestion, insisting that the visa I was advocating to get for his
son could lead to his son’s deportation eventually. I explained to him that
what he wanted me to do could cost me about 20,000 dollars and that I didn’t
have that kind of money. But he would not listen to me.
“I
gave him another suggestion. I told him that his son should go to Germany where
I have a brother. He refused, stating that his son was 30 years old and too old
to start studying German Language before being allowed to regularize his stay. My
brother is also part of this plot because I refused to organize the traveling
of his son to the U.S
to do his master’s degree. When this matter
came up and I was informed that my name was mentioned by the Police, I called
my brother to go to Igando Police Station, Lagos State, where the matter was
being handled and represent me by making a statement on my behalf that I knew
nothing of the allegations, but he showed no interest.
‘The ‘hired killer’ is my cousin, but a fraudster’
Speaking on Okonoboh and Oboh,
Augusta said she didn’t know Oboh, but that Okonoboh is her cousin.
She
said: “Osaro is my cousin and I communicate with him from time to time as my
younger brother. I also provided him financial
assistance in whatever capacity I could. However, at a point about two years
ago, I reviewed my relationship with him when it became obvious to me that he
was busy all the while defrauding me in the name of assisting to acquire landed
properties.
“At a point, I decided enough was
enough. Osaro has his own motive. Osaro has paid me back with evil. I have
supported Osaro in so many ways. Osaro is a thief, he has stolen a lot from me
and the best way to cover up is to dent my image, claiming I asked him to carry
out an assassination attack if truly he said so. I don’t really know why this
thing happened. I don’t know where I had gone wrong.
“I
decided to limit my communication with him and his family. The relationship has
been strained solely because of his fraudulent conduct. I never discussed with
him to kill anybody, not even my sister, Gladys, who is also his own sister. The only telephone call I received
in the month of July, 2018, came from Evelyn, Osaro’s wife. She contacted and
informed me that her husband was arrested in Benin. Later I heard that Osaro was
arrested in Lagos for the second time. The last time I spoke with Osaro, months
ago, I only discussed about properties with him. My discussion with Osaro then
was never for him to hire anyone to kill or kidnap Gladys.
“All
they are saying are just false allegation and an orchestrated effort to set me
up. Osaro’s wife said that her husband was arrested
in Benin and that the people who arrested Osaro were asking for N3million. She said that I should assist them financially so that
Osaro could be released. I demanded to know what my cousin had done for those
who arrested him to be demanding N3m. Her response shocked me a bit because she
explained that a gun was found with someone and the person said Osaro was the
one that gave him the gun. However, the story was not clear at that time, until
eventually I heard Osaro was released by the Police in Benin.
“Osaro’s wife told me some people
picked her husband up on the street of Benin and took him to a remote place and
called her to demand for N3m or else they would hand him over to the police to
parade him. I told everybody, including Evelyn that I did not have money for
whatever matter they were trying to resolve and that Evelyn should inform
Osaro’s brothers and sisters living in Germany?
“It was later I heard again that Osaro
was arrested in Lagos. I
immediately called my elder brother, Anthony, who told me that they were trying
to resolve the matter. I don’t know whether my
refusal to give money at this stage as demanded by my family members was the
cause of this gang up and frame-up.”
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