The widow of late Inspector Ahmadu Babayo has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, over her husband’s death, alleging that he was unlawfully detained for 35 days and released in critical medical condition before he died.
In the petition dated October 28, 2026, Mrs Fatima Ibrahim Jalo called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, a serving police officer attached to the State Intelligence Department at the Borno State Police Command headquarters in Maiduguri.
Jalo accused Assistant Inspector-General of Police Emmanuel Egene of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Annex in Gombe, Commissioner of Police Naziru AbdulMajid of Borno State, and three other police officers of involvement in, or failure to prevent, the alleged unlawful detention.
The other officers named in the petition are ASP Usman, CSP Musa Alhaji Hussaini and Inspector Monday Usman.
According to the widow, Babayo was taken into custody on September 21 and remained detained until October 26, 2026, without being arraigned before a court or presented with a lawful order authorising his continued detention.
She further alleged that Egene directed the Borno State police commissioner to detain her husband “until death.”
Jalo said her husband was released to her on October 26 in critical medical condition and subsequently died on October 28 after receiving medical attention in Maiduguri.
She described his death as a consequence of the circumstances surrounding his detention and release, urging the police authorities to establish the facts and hold anyone found culpable accountable.
The petitioner also raised concerns over a medical report signed by ACP Nasiru Egga, alleging that the stated cause of death was inconsistent with her husband’s condition when he was released from custody.
She called for an independent forensic review of the report, alongside an independent post mortem examination to establish the cause and circumstances of the death.
The widow urged the Inspector-General of Police to constitute an investigative panel independent of the officers and police formations named in the petition.
She also requested the preservation and production of custody registers, duty rosters, communications, detention orders, medical records and any available CCTV footage relevant to the case.
Jalo further called for the suspension of the officers under investigation, or their removal from positions that could enable them to interfere with the inquiry, pending the outcome of the investigation.
She asked that any officers found culpable face disciplinary action and prosecution by the appropriate authorities. She also sought compensation and the payment of her late husband’s outstanding entitlements and benefits, as well as protection for her family and potential witnesses against intimidation or reprisals.
The petition cited alleged violations of the constitutional rights to personal liberty, life and dignity, as well as possible offences relating to unlawful detention, abuse of office and culpable homicide.
The widow also stated that her husband had served the Nigeria Police Force for 23 years. She alleged that his salary for September and October 2026 had been stopped on the directive of the Borno State Commissioner of Police.
Copies of the petition were sent to the Police Service Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the National Security Adviser and the Senate and House of Representatives committees on police affairs, among other authorities.
The petitioner said she reserved the right to pursue legal action if the matter did not receive prompt and satisfactory attention.
