Widow Petitions IGP Over Inspector’s Death After 35 Days in Detention

The widow of a police inspector, Ahmadu Babayo, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), alleging that her husband died after spending 35 days in unlawful detention and suffering a critical medical condition following his release.

In a petition dated October 28, 2026, Mrs Fatima Ibrahim Jalo demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding her husband’s death. Babayo served at the State Intelligence Department, Borno State Police Command headquarters in Maiduguri.

She accused Assistant Inspector-General of Police Emmanuel Egene of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Gombe; Borno State Commissioner of Police Naziru AbdulMajid; and three other officers of involvement in the alleged unlawful detention or failure to prevent it.

The other officers named in the petition are ASP Usman, CSP Musa Alhaji Hussaini and Inspector Monday Usman.

Jalo alleged that police authorities took her husband into custody on September 21 and held him until October 26, 2026, without arraigning him before a court or presenting a valid order for his continued detention.

She further accused Egene of directing the Borno police commissioner to keep her husband in custody “until death”.

According to the widow, police released Babayo to her on October 26 in a critical medical condition. He subsequently died on October 28 after receiving medical attention in Maiduguri.

She linked his death to the circumstances of his detention and release, urging the police leadership to establish what happened and ensure that anyone found responsible faces the law.

The petition also questioned a medical report signed by ACP Nasiru Egga. Jalo alleged that the report’s stated cause of death did not correspond with her husband’s condition when police released him.

She consequently requested an independent forensic assessment of the medical report and a separate post-mortem examination to determine the actual cause and circumstances of his death.

The widow also urged the IGP to establish an investigative panel independent of the officers and police formations mentioned in her petition.

She asked the police to preserve and produce relevant evidence, including custody registers, duty rosters, communications, detention orders, medical records and available CCTV footage.

In addition, Jalo called for the suspension of the officers under investigation or their removal from positions that could allow them to influence the inquiry.

She urged the authorities to prosecute any officer found culpable and take appropriate disciplinary action. She also demanded compensation and payment of her husband’s outstanding salaries, entitlements and benefits.

The petitioner further sought protection for her family and potential witnesses against intimidation or reprisals during the investigation.

She cited alleged violations of constitutional guarantees of personal liberty, life and human dignity, alongside possible offences involving unlawful detention, abuse of office and culpable homicide.

Jalo disclosed that her husband served in the Nigeria Police Force for 23 years. She also alleged that authorities stopped his September and October 2026 salaries on the directive of the Borno police commissioner.

The widow sent copies of the petition to the Police Service Commission, Attorney-General of the Federation, National Human Rights Commission and Ministry of Police Affairs.

Other recipients included the National Security Adviser and the Senate and House of Representatives committees on police affairs.

She warned that she reserved the right to pursue legal action if the authorities failed to address her complaints promptly and satisfactorily.