Cry for help: Family asks police to investigate death of daughter who was buried without their consent

The family of one Margaret Ikumu has petitioned the Lagos state police command over her death.

In the petition, the family raised suspicion over the involvement of two friends of their late daughter, alleging that the “friends” buried her without the family’s consent.

They said Ikumu lived in the Ajah area of Lagos with two of her friends identified as “Marvelous Mary” and Nneka Buddy.

“We hereby write to complain to you over the conduct of one Miss Marvelous Mary and Nneka Buddy (Facebook names) and other accomplices in the circumstance surrounding the alleged death of our sister, Margaret Adiya Ikumu, bearing Margaret David on Facebook, who was reported to have died a few days ago under the custody of Marvelous and Nneka,” the petition read.

“Our attention was drawn to the death of Margaret on Facebook a few days ago somewhere at Aja area of Lagos where she was living with Miss Marvelous Mary and Nneka Buddy who are said to be her friends. Upon enquiries, our people were able to establish contact with Marvelous Mary on phone number 07040869026 and Nneka Buddy on her Facebook page, who reluctantly revealed to us that Miss Margaret was their friend but now dead and that her dead body is in their custody.

“They told us that they had the instruction of the late Margaret not to allow members of her family to know anything about her death and that they were authorised by the deceased to bury her according to her wish.

“Since then, all efforts by our family and our community here in Lagos to know the cause and circumstances surrounding Margaret’s death has been rebuffed by Marvelous and Nneka who are the only persons with information about her death. They later sent a chat message on WhatsApp to one member of our family with a picture of a casket showing that the late Margaret has been buried.

“All efforts by members of the family to get more details surrounding the death and eventual burial of Margaret from Marvelous and Nneka Buddy has proved abortive due to their refusal to co-operate with us. Miss Marvelous Mary has threatened to discard her phone number (07040869026) after the burial as a way of blocking us from further reaching her and all efforts to reach late Margaret’s personal phone number, 0811377322 has not yielded any result as the phone is permanently switched off.”

The family said they are in a dilemma over how to get to the root of the matter, and finding it difficult to console the bereaved mother who is insisting on seeing the body of her daughter.

“We therefore appeal to the police authority under your leadership to wade in by investigating the incident with the view to establishing the facts and circumstances surrounding her death and eventual burial without the knowledge and consent of her family,” the petition read.

“Note that the late Margaret is from Oju community, in Oju local government area of Benue state, while her supposed friends (Marvelous and Nneka) are of Igbo extraction from the Southeast [and] unknown to our family and community.”

When contacted, Tony Iji, the lawyer who wrote the petition on behalf of the family, said all he had to say were contained in the letter sent to the police.

Bala Elkana, spokesman of the Lagos police command, neither answered calls nor responded to a text message sent before this report was filed.