Woman arrested for secretly burying brother, seizes property

A woman, Mrs Jane Uchendu (nee Ozoemena) has been arrested by police operatives from the FCID, Alagbon, Lagos for secretly burying her late brother, Theophilus Ikechukwu Ozoemena, without the consent of his widow and children.

According to the police, Uchendu also seized her late brother’s multi-billion-naira property.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the police have recovered a safe containing $700,000 and family documents, a Toyota Hilux 2018 model, a Lexus SUV 2006 model and late Mr Ozoemena’s two phones.

The widow of the deceased and her children are asking the police for the body to be exhumed for proper identification as they are suspicious of the way he was buried secretly without their knowledge.

The suspect, Uchendu, was arrested following a petition by the wife of the deceased and her children, which was written to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) of the Nigeria Police Force, who ordered an investigation over the allegations.

This was disclosed by the spokesperson of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, ASP Aminat Mayegun, who confirmed the arrest of Mrs Uchendu.

Mayegun stated that the alleged properties which Uchendu seized were: “a Toyota Hilux 2018 model, a Lexus SUV 2006 model, a big safe containing the family’s documents, and late Mr Ozoemena’s two mobile phones.

“Some of the properties which have been retrieved are in the custody of the Police. The investigation is ongoing as the parties chose to have Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the matter. But the investigation is still ongoing.”

The embattled Mrs Uchendu landed in trouble when her brother died in October 2023. She went straight to one of the shops at ASPAMDA Market at Trade Fair Complex on a Sunday, forced her way into the shop and carted away all the valid documents inside the shop, which included birth certificates, and family international passports which had visas.

She was said to have visited the late brother’s residence at Raji Razaki, FESTAC town, Lagos, and towed away his cars including a Toyota Hilux 2019 model, Lexus GX490, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and some properties.

Apart from that, she went on and started arranging for his burial without the consent of the wife and children, which was slated for 3rd January at their hometown, Ichida in Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.