Pastor Taiwo & Children Killed DSP Idehen – Family Alleges

PATIENCE OGBO

The family members of a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP Joseph Idehen, are alleging that his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Taiwo Idehen of Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry, Ishawo, Ikorodu, Lagos, alongside her children conspired and killed the retired police officer.

DSP Idehen, 64, died mysteriously after his daughter identified as Ruth allegedly gave him food in 2016 in his home at No. 5 Odetola Street, Alagbado, Lagos, barely one year after he retired from the Police Force family members said.

The family members said that efforts to conduct an autopsy to find out the cause of his sudden demise had proved abortive as four of his eleven children with their mother took his corpse to an unknown destination and buried him. The extended family members said that they reported the death to the police at the Force Criminal and Intelligence Department, Alagbon, Lagos, following several efforts by his other children, extended family members with the police to exhume his corpse to no avail.

A senior cousin of the deceased, Pa Sunday Ogomo, who spoke on behalf of the extended family members said, “We got information from the deceased’s daughter Ruth Idehen on 4^th July, 2016, that she was with her father for her marriage introduction. She said that she fed her father and shortly after he died. She told us that she had deposited the corpse in the hospital morgue. We were shocked because retired DSP Joseph Idehen had the previous day attended his daughter’s wedding introduction. He was hale and showed no sign of illness. His younger son called Precious who was living with him had gone to fix a phone for the deceased but when he came back, he found his father rolling on the floor and in excruciating pains. Precious said that he tried to call Ruth who went upstairs after feeding their father but that she was busy doing something else. At that point, a neighbour who heard the noise came to assist.”

“They took Joseph Idehen to a private hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival. His daughter Ruth took the corpse and deposited in the mortuary at State Hospital Ota, Ogun State. Our brother had other relatives living around but strangely Ruth did not inform them before taking him to the morgue.”

“When the family members came to the house, they found Ruth’s mother, Pastor Taiwo, a woman who had left the deceased for more than twenty years ago in the house at Alagbado. DSP Joseph Idehen had elder sisters and brothers, and extended family members. We are from Evboesi village, Orhonmwon Local Government area in Edo state. We called a family meeting inviting Ruth to come explain how his father died. Her brothers came but she did not show up. We called several meetings but she still did not come. We were surprised that she got married twelve days after her father’s death. We only saw the photographs of her marriage on her Facebook wall. This is sad!”  Pa Sunday Ogomo said.

Pa Sunday Ogomo said that they later went with the police to the village where they claimed to have buried DSP Idehen. He said that on getting to the place, Pastor Taiwo and her children had hired thugs who attacked them and the police officers that came with them. He narrated that it was God that saved them and the police officers from being killed that day.

On his own part, Scot Idehen, the first son of the deceased said, “My father had eleven children from six women. I am the first son of the family. I reside in Ghana and returned to Nigeria immediately after I learnt of my father’s death. All my efforts to see my father’s corpse proved abortive. My father married my mother and children from six other women but I am the first son. My father was a very generous man and a philanthropist. He was the chairman of our village association in Lagos and he helped many people while alive. But we are sad that he died and some of his children from a third wife, Pastor Taiwo, who he had separated from for more than twenty years connived with her children Samuel, Emmanuel, Michael and Ruth, and used soldiers to hijack his corpse while we were trying to get his autopsy report. They took him outside our village in Edo State and buried him like a chicken somewhere in Delta State.”

“My father told me that he loved to be buried in his house at Alagbado, Lagos. I only saw the photographs of his burial on Facebook and I was shocked. My relatives, my father’s brothers and sisters and other children were not present at the burial. In the posters they printed, they stated that my father is from Delta State but he is from Edo State. We want his corpse exhumed and autopsy conducted as we suspected that he was murdered. Our lawyers wrote a letter to the State Hospital at Ota, Ogun State placing a caveat on the release of the body but the corpse was released to them and they hurriedly went to bury him” Scot Idehen said.

Scot Idehen explained that Pastor Taiwo and her children also forged a death certificate and falsified documents which they used to withdraw millions of Naira from his late father’s bank account. He said that they equally took over his properties, sent his tenants away and collected rents from new tenants. He said that he wants the police to look into the matter as he father was a police officer before he retired and arrest Pastor Taiwo and her children. He said that they should also exhume the corpse so they can conduct an autopsy to know cause of his death and equally give him a befitting burial.

When contacted on their side of the story, Samuel and Michael Idehen (sons of Pastor Taiwo), said that they had the right to bury their father. Samuel said, “I am the first son of my mother. I and my siblings have buried our father. We didn’t need any family to attend our father’s burial”

Pa Sunday Ogomo and Mr. Scot Idehen said that though they had approached a court on the matter, they are pleading with the police to give the matter the desired attention as it concerned the arrest of Pastor Taiwo and her children as demanded by the court.