Stir, as ex-Immigration officer carpets handling of embassy staff’s death in Spain

By Olusegun Olanrewaju

There is disquiet in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) over the handling of the death of Emmanuel Ekpo, one of its officers in Spain.

This follows the protest by a retired Deputy Comptroller of Immigration (DCI), Ime Nta, to the Comptroller of Immigration, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mrs Franca Dakat, over what he called the ‘administrative incompetence’ and clandestine activities in the management of the demise of the late Ekpo, an Assistant Comptroller of NIS at the Nigerian Embassy in the European country.

Nta, a one-time Special Assistant (SA) to the ministers of aviation and the interior, faulted Dakat for allegedly being clandestine in the handling of the breaking of the news on the painful death of the late ACI Ekpo, in Spain to the family at Ikot Inyang village in Akwa Ibom State on September 27, 2023.

Crises reportedly started when the now retired Nta faulted the Akwa Ibom State Comptroller of the command over burial procedures concerning a top service official.

It pertains to her frantic moves of sending two Hilux operational vehicles with armed Immigration officers led by three most ranking officers of the command with the ranks of Deputy Comptroller of Immigration Service to join the convoy of the recently-married wife of the deceased, Mrs Justina Emmanuel. Mrs Emmanuel is an Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI).

She was allegedly transported in her car with her siblings, clergies, as well as armed police escort “without a single elder from her place -Ikot Adaku-Okon, Eket, as tradition demanded, at Ikot Inyang, in Ibeno on the 27th September 2023, about three weeks after the news broke out on 29th August 2023”.

According to the protester, Nta, the comptroller, was “aware of the strained and bad relationship of the wife of the deceased with her in-laws, but decided to risk the officers, instead of allowing the delegates to go alone, or with the eldest daughter of the deceased, or any of her cousins who are serving Immigration officers, while the deceased’s wife, as tradition demands, go with her elders.”

He, however, commended the deceased’s family for what he called their maturity and peace during the condolence visit, “most especially when the team leader of the Immigration Service, DCI Okokon, ignited suspicion surrounding the shocking demise when he told the family that they will only see their son’s corpse and death medical certificate when he will be brought for burial.”

It was gathered that the wife of the bereaved, who had bluntly refused to go with her elders to inform her in-law, allegedly chose, with the subtle support of the state comptroller, “to conceal where she deposited the corpse that she hijacked on arrival from Spain at Abuja first week of September, and brought it through Port Harcourt to Uyo and also the medical death certificate, without the knowledge of the family till date.

“When the deceased’s family insisted that she came with her elders, and knowing that they looked up to my protection, they decided to forward a weighty petition through her lawyer to the Commissioner of Police, accusing her father-in-law- Pastor Geidion Ekpo, son to her mother in law – Emmanuel Eyibio- and one Mr Ime Nta, a retired Deputy Comptroller on “conspiracy, suspected murder conduct, threat to peace and concealment of corpse.

“The son to his mother-in-law- was arrested and detained on 9th October 2023, and released on bail on the 17th November 2023, for an offence she alleged that the dream he had of her husband a few months before his demise was what killed the husband.

Nta added, “Sequel to the invitation dated 12th October 2023 from the Deputy Commissioner (CID) on facts findings, statements were collected and an interactive session with all parties on the 17th October 2023.”

Mrs Justina Emmanuel Ekpo, it was gathered, told the police that she was rough-handled at the village during the condolence visit, while the in-laws denied it, and since I was not there, I gave the names and contacts of the three Deputy Comptrollers of Immigration to be invited by the IPO.

“Interestingly, an official letter was forwarded to the comptroller for their release, but the same comptroller refused to release them to date to honour the invitation because he knows that the deceits and lies of Mrs. Justina Emmanuel Ekpo will be exposed.

“The albatross is that Mrs. Justina Emmanuel has not gone with her elders as tradition demands to see the in-laws; has not shown the in-laws the corpse and death certificate for obvious reasons, but on the 7th of November, 2023, sent people to the deceased house with police escorts to forcefully carry work without informing them.”

The police were briefed on the background of the issues, and the worker was told to get written consent from her family on the advice of retired DCI Nta.

Meanwhile, the NIS has reportedly forwarded a letter dated 3rd November 2023, reference NIS/AKSC/ARU/VOL.1, captioned ‘Receipt of (the) late ACI Emmanuel Okon Ekpo’s Corpse’, confirming that the Immigration Service had taken over the corpse.

The letter addressed to Pastor Gideon Ekpo, family head of the Ekpo Ita family, was signed by DCI Ibeshia Jaja, Deputy Comptroller in charge of Human Resources Management, on behalf of the Comptroller of NIS, Akwa Ibom State Command.

The letter read in part, “This is to convey to you that late ACI Emmanuel Okon Ekpo’s corpse has been handed over to the command accordingly. The family may wish to communicate to the Command for the release of the corps when the burial arrangement has been concluded.

“I am further directed to inform you that the viewing of the corpse is only done on Wednesdays and as such members of the family who wish to do so can contact the Command with a proposed date of any Wednesday as may be convenient.”

However, in another letter, the family acknowledged the receipt of the corps of their deceased son. In a letter by the head of the family, Pastor Gideon Ekpo, they said they await the police report concerning their son’s death.

The letter stated, “The family awaits the clarification of its divergent position and that of our daughter in-law – Mrs Justina Emmanuel Ekpo on the day of her visit which prompted everyone, including the Police on the need to invite all the officers, specifically the three Deputy Comptroller and the Provost Marshal.

“The family, Acting Village Head and indeed the Paramount Ruler awaits the conclusion of the findings and the release of the Police Investigation reports on our daughter’s in-law alleged weighty petition captioned “Conspiracy, Suspected murder conduct, threats to peace and Concealment of Corpse to the Commissioner of Police against Pastor Gideon Ekpo (Head of the family), Emmanuel Eseanam (son to the eldest sister of Late Emmanuel Ekpo who was detained from 9th October, 2023 to 17th October, 2023 because of a dream he had months before the demise of his late uncle) and retired Deputy Comptroller Ime Nta (a dependable friend of the family that stood tenaciously for us during this trying period morally, advisory and financially).

“The family awaits a visit from our daughter in-laws, specifically those that were witnesses to her church wedding ceremony which I and the eldest sister of the deceased happily and joyfully took the attached picture, including those elders from her family who witnessed his court marriage; notwithstanding as none of our family members were invited.

“In as the family wish to respect the position of our late son on the two daughters and son he has which the two daughters are evidenced with the attached pictures, the family also has the right to conduct a DNA test as Mrs. Justina Emmanuel Ekpo is dissipating time, energy and resources that our late son Emmanuel Okon Ekpo has only one child which is her son; probably to claim all inheritance which at the appropriate time will be contested at the appropriate quarters.

“The fundamental issues raised in the petition dated 5th October, 2023 by our daughter in-law and your staff – Mrs Justina Emmanuel Ekpo to your Comptroller General and placed widely circulated in the Village platform is beyond the family and has officially been forwarded to the Paramount Ruler through the Acting Village Head for further directives.

“Once more, the family conveys its sincere appreciation for the handing over of the corpse of our late son to Nigeria Immigration Service and humbly request to extend the generous act by releasing the photocopy of Medical Report and Death Certificate that was forwarded to the Comptroller General as it will lay to rest all the suspicions spread by the wife- Mrs. Emmanuel Justina Ekpo so that we proceed to bury our late son Emmanuel Okon Ekpo accordingly.”

Efforts to speak with the Akwa Ibom State command of the NIS to get the latest developments on the matter were unsuccessful.