By Abubakar Yakubu, Abuja
Retired Assistant Superintendent of Police Joseph Ahaba appeared to have adopted a Christ-like philosophy in matters pertaining to children. He welcomed them warmly and often sought to fulfil their modest needs and desires.
Yet never in his most troubling dreams could he have foreseen that an interaction with a child would lead to his untimely demise.
It was just a few steps from his residence in Angwan Adamu, Ado, Nasarawa State, at the close of October 2024.
His wife, Mrs Hajara Joseph, revealed his deep affection for children, and recounted that the couple had been blessed with nine children, though they tragically lost one some years ago. The memory of that departed child continued to haunt her husband’s heart, she recalled.
She remarked: “My husband never quite recovered from that loss. Whenever his thoughts turned to the boy, he would sink into a deep melancholy for days.”
She further recalled instances illustrating his tenderness: “There was a day he nearly expelled me from the house for chastising one of the children. On another occasion, he harshly rebuked me when the children complained of hunger. To verify their claims, he feigned sleep in the parlour and observed me surreptitiously serving the children, who subsequently went outside to eat.
“Hours later, when I served him his meal, the children clustered around him. When he inquired whether they had eaten, they replied in the negative. My husband, without hesitation, offered them his portion and returned to the bedroom to apologise to me for having earlier spoken harshly.”
Such was the depth of Mr Ahaba’s affection for children that Mrs Joseph expressed disbelief at the notion that her husband could have physically assaulted a child, as was later alleged.
Other neighbours around his residence also testified to how he related nicely with their children and expressed surprise that he was alleged to have beaten up someone’s child.
Genesis of tragedy
Following his retirement from the Nigeria Police Force a decade ago, Mr Ahaba had been receiving monthly pension payments from his Retirement Savings Account via African Alliance. However, these payments ceased over a year prior to the incident, significantly affecting his financial wellbeing.
Mrs Joseph recounted that on the fateful evening, her husband had departed their home around 7pm for his customary evening walk and made a purchase worth ₦400 from a local female trader named Obiageli, for which he paid in full.
“After he left, the woman’s six-year-old son ran after him, claiming that his mother said he still owed ₦100,” she said. “The child grabbed my husband’s shirt. My husband calmly explained that he had already paid ₦400 and instructed the boy to relay that to his mother, adding that should she remain insistent, he would return later to settle the difference.”
Shortly thereafter, the boy returned to his mother in tears, alleging that Mr Ahaba had assaulted him.
According to Mrs Joseph, her husband had by then made his way towards their home and paused at the invitation of a fellow Igala woman, one Dora, who suggested he rest from the sun on her veranda. She offered him sachet water, which he was quietly drinking when Obiageli stormed onto the scene.
“She seized his mobile phone and smashed it against the ground,” Mrs Joseph recounted. “She then grabbed his head and repeatedly bashed it against the wall until Dora rushed to intervene and managed to pry her off.”
Her husband, she said, uttered not a single word in retaliation. Upon returning home, he narrated the entire episode to her in quiet disbelief.
By the following morning, however, his face was severely swollen. Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors determined that surgery on his head was required.
Legal proceedings and declining health
The matter was promptly reported to the New Nyanya Police Division. Obiageli was arrested and charged before a magistrate’s court for assault, and subsequently granted bail.
Whilst the case was pending, Mr Ahaba’s health rapidly deteriorated. He lost his sight and, tragically, succumbed to his injuries seven days following the attack.
Mrs Joseph stated that they duly informed the police of his passing. Nevertheless, she expressed profound disappointment that throughout the seven months and eight days during which her husband’s body lay in the mortuary, the police never paid a courtesy visit to the family nor extended any formal condolences.
The late officer was eventually laid to rest at Abejukolo Town in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State on the 10th of May this year.
One of Mr Ahaba’s sons expressed his dismay that, even after formally notifying the police of their father’s death, the assault case continued unimpeded before the court.
“The numerous adjournments drained us emotionally,” he said. “Eventually, we informed the prosecutor that our family was no longer interested in pursuing the matter.”
Police response and institutional oversight
At the New Nyanya Police Station, an officer who requested anonymity confirmed that the suspect had been arrested and initially charged with assault. However, he declined to comment on whether the division had been formally informed of Mr Ahaba’s demise.
A senior officer at Force Headquarters queried why the charge had not been withdrawn following the victim’s death, pointing out that the suspect should have been re-arrested and the case file reclassified as culpable homicide. He asserted that the matter should have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia for thorough investigation.
“The prosecutor ought to have advised the Divisional Police Officer of New Nyanya Police Division accordingly,” he noted. He further advised the bereaved family to submit a formal petition to the Nasarawa State Police Commissioner to ensure justice.
In response, the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent Ramhan Nansel, stated that he was previously unaware of the case. He asked whether the family had officially updated the police regarding the victim’s death.
The spokesperson said he would present the matter to the state police commissioner, so that legal advice could be sought in order to do what the law says in such a case.