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The children of the late Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Philip Kenneth Owukaike have appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to intervene in the payment of their father’s Group Life Insurance benefit, which they claim has remained unpaid for nearly 10 years after his death.
Owukaike, with AP No. 34328, died on February 12, 2016, following a brief illness. Until his death, he served at the Lagos State Police Command as the second-in-command at Area B Command, Apapa, Lagos.
His children, Sandra Philip and Oluchi Philip, who are the next of kin, said that despite several visits to police offices, the submission of relevant documents and repeated assurances that the payment would be made, they had yet to receive the insurance benefit.
They appealed to IGP Disu to direct the relevant department to investigate the delay and ensure that the outstanding benefit was paid to the family.
In an appeal addressed to the police chief, the children said they had exhausted all available avenues to secure the payment without success.
Sandra, who spoke with our correspondent, said the family had received other entitlements due to their late father but was still waiting for his Group Life Insurance benefit.
“My sister, Oluchi Philip, and I are the next of kin to our father. We have done everything within our power to obtain the benefit, but all to no avail. All his other benefits have been paid,” she said.
According to her, the family initially approached the Lagos State Police Command for assistance but was referred to Abuja, where they were assured that the payment would be made soon.
She lamented that the family had spent scarce resources and valuable time pursuing the claim without any positive outcome.
“We have been waiting indefinitely for almost 10 years. The disturbing thing is that the insurance benefits of police officers who died after our father have been paid, while his remains outstanding.
“We are beginning to suspect foul play and are appealing to the IGP to intervene,” she said.
Sandra said the family would appreciate the IGP’s intervention, expressing confidence that he would direct the appropriate authorities to address their complaint.
“We trust the IGP, who has been doing wonderfully well for police officers and their widows. We have also seen the commitment of his wife to the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA). We appeal to him to extend the same compassion to our family,” she said.
She questioned why the insurance benefits of officers who died after her father had been paid while his family’s claim remained unresolved.
“If there is anything wrong with the documents we submitted to the appropriate authorities, they should have told us. Instead, we were assured that the benefit would be paid as soon as possible. Yet, after almost a decade, nothing has been done,” she added.
In their appeal, the children described their father as an officer who served the Nigeria Police Force faithfully, adding that his death had left their mother struggling to cater for the family.
“Sir, our father served the Nigeria Police Force faithfully. Since his death, we have received his other entitlements, but his Group Life Insurance claim has not been paid despite several attempts, submission of documents and verification.
“We have been going from one office to another for almost 10 years without any result. Our mother is still alive, but she has been struggling alone to cater for the family since our father left us.
“We are appealing to you, Sir, as a listening IGP and a father, to intervene and direct the relevant department to look into the file of our late father, CSP Philip Kenneth Owukaike, AP No. 34328, and release his Group Life Insurance benefit to his next of kin.
“We have not lost hope in the Force that our father served. Thank you for your anticipated intervention,” the appeal read.
The children provided the following telephone numbers for contact: 0810 807 3712 and 0701 663 2532.
Their appeal comes against the backdrop of the police authorities’ recent disbursement of insurance and welfare benefits to the families of deceased officers.
On Thursday, September 3, 2026, the IGP presented cheques totalling ₦2,317,177,094 to 2,971 beneficiaries and next of kin of deceased police officers under the Group Life Assurance, Group Personal Accident and IGP Family Welfare Schemes.
The beneficiaries included families of officers who died in service and were covered under the 2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2024/2025 insurance policy years. The payments also included outstanding balances recovered from insurance companies following earlier partial settlements.
Speaking at the presentation, Disu described the exercise as more than the disbursement of financial benefits, saying it represented the institutional responsibility owed to families of officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to Nigeria.
He acknowledged that no financial benefit could replace a lost loved one but stressed that the payments provided practical support to bereaved families and reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to their welfare.
