Oluwawemimo Damilola Daniel, a fitness instructor, has accused the family of his deceased wife of attempting to use the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to bring false charges against him.
Mr Oluwawemimo claims that the threats are part of a scheme to unlawfully implicate him in a crime he insists he did not commit.
He told SaharaReporters that his mother-in-law, Omotayo Abiodun, and his sister-in-law, Mofe Beckley, allegedly had him arrested and abducted his son after his wife, Oluwafunmilayo Oluwawemimo Mary Ann, died.
He alleged that an officer at the DPP, who has already taken a biased position with his mother-in-law, is threatening to use the Office of the AGF to get him arrested and jailed.
According to Mr Oluwawemimo, “On the 17th of May, I left my house at exactly 5:45 a.m. for work. I’m a fitness instructor, so I train early in the morning. On the same day, I had a nice chat with my wife and also a video call with her and my son.
“As the day proceeded, I kept chatting with my wife regularly. We chatted until 6:30 PM. I was supposed to take a morning workout session for a church in Karu on Saturday morning, the next day being the 18th of May, which my wife knew about.”
He said that he would stay over in Karu and have the work done the following morning, as discussed with his wife.
He told SaharaReporters that in their last chat on the 17th of May around 6:30 pm, his wife mentioned she wanted to shower and sleep. He reminded her to ensure their son slept first. His wife, who has sickle cell anemia, usually sleeps for 6 to 7 hours.
“I was at Karu until around 9:30 PM, waiting for a call about the job I was supposed to do the following morning, but I never received the call, and it was getting late. So, I decided to drive back to Lugbe, where I reside. While driving, I noticed a missed call from my father-in-law and another from my mother-in-law that I hadn’t picked up.”
Mr Oluwawemimo explained that he received another call from an unfamiliar number, thinking it was the woman he had previously spoken to. However, it was a former neighbour inquiring about his wife, as her sister-in-law had tried to reach her. He informed the caller that his wife was fine and mentioned that she should be sleeping by now, according to their earlier conversation.
He said, “Around 10:30, I tried to call my wife, but she wasn’t picking up. Since the job was not done and she wasn’t expecting me home that night on the 17th of May, I decided to hang out with my friends. Before doing that, because I couldn’t reach my wife, I had to call my neighbour, Pastor Emma, to check on her. He came to my flat immediately and said, ‘Bro Dammy, I can’t hear any voices; I believe they are sleeping. The fan is on and the light is off.’ With this assumption, I believed my family was okay.”
He told SaharaReporters that the following morning, he couldn’t reach his wife on the phone and had to quickly call Pastor Emma to check on her. While he was still on the phone with Pastor Emma, they broke down the door and while he was still on the phone, crying, he told his neighbour to take her to the Federal Medical Center hospital.
“They responded that this was serious and that I needed to come and be strong. I drove home immediately and saw neighbours gather in front of my door.
“I ran inside and immediately saw my wife lying lifeless on the floor. I held her; she was very cold. At that moment, I was not in my right mental state. Getting home and finding my wife on the floor had been haunting me in the following days.
“At that point, I was shouting and crying, asking God why I was working so hard. I wondered if it wasn’t for my family, why would this happen to me after working tirelessly day and night to take care of them? That was when I thought there was no hope left and considered ending my life,” he said.
Mr Oluwawemimo told SaharaReporters that while he was crying, he saw his sister-in-law arrive with the police. Everyone was shocked to see the police, and that’s how he was arrested.
He said the first hospital near his house, was where they confirmed that she had passed away 6 to 7 hours earlier.
He explained that at the Lugbe division, he was held for four days while the investigation was ongoing.
His neighbours came forward to provide their statements, and the investigating officer, Mary, was handling the case while he was detained.
Mr Oluwawemimo said that after the police completed their investigation at the Lugbe division, his in-laws requested that the case should be transferred to the State CID.
“When we got there, they also started their investigation into the case while I was detained at SAS. Despite having a hernia, for which surgery was scheduled for the following week, I was kept there and beaten by the inmates.”
“While the investigation was ongoing with the State CID, I received a list from my friends indicating that my mother-in-law, Omotayo Abiodun, was demanding all the items in my house, including the wardrobe, washing machine, stabilizer, bed, kitchen accessories, TV, car, and all other household items. (The list and the undertaking they drafted, which they wanted me to sign.
He said that after the State CID investigation, he was granted administrative bail based on their findings, which stated that an autopsy must be conducted. He paid for the autopsy.
Mr Oluwawemimo has vehemently denied allegations of violence against his late wife, stating that the autopsy revealed she died from complications related to sickle cell anemia, not from any physical abuse.
He expressed frustration over false media claims suggesting he had beaten her to death and emphasized that his marriage was free of violence.
He provided evidence, including a statement from his father-in-law denying the abuse claims and an eyewitness who can testify about bruises found on his wife’s body occurring during her transportation.
Mr Oluwawemimo accused his wife’s family of misrepresenting the autopsy results, sharing a fake version of the report, and using their influence to falsely accuse him of murder.
Mr Oluwawemimo also criticized the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for allegedly biased behaviour and called on the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure a fair review of the case.
“Despite giving my in-laws two weeks’ notice and arranging for the burial to take place alongside my father-in-law, my wife’s uncle, who is a Rear Admiral, and the pastor, my mother-in-law insisted that she wasn’t ready.
“They have not given me any feedback on a date that works for them. However, these same people have misled the media into believing that I am stalling the burial and refusing to bury my wife until they close the case.”
He has called for support from Nigerians and organizations that assist widowers, seeking help for mental health, legal issues, and general support.
He described the situation as one of physical, mental, and emotional abuse from his in-laws, who he claims are misusing their power to detain him unlawfully.
When SaharaReporters contacted Mr Oluwawemimo’s sister-in-law, Mofe Beckley, to ask about the allegation, she said, “Sorry, sorry, but can we talk later? Now is not a good time for me. Though I don’t know who I’m speaking with, I can give you the lawyer’s number to call regarding that conversation.”
At the time of filing this report, Mrs Beckley has refused to provide the lawyer’s contact information and has also not responded to the questions from her.
Sahara Reporters