The Edo State Police Command has offered reasons why it is still holding Lawal Babalola, the husband of Toluige Olokobi Babalola, whose son, Oreofeoluwa, featured in a 2023 viral video, tagged: “Mummy, be calming down.”
The spokesman of the Command, Chid Nwabuzor, offered the explanation following the detention of Babalola.
The Eagle Online had earlier reported that Toluige reportedly committed suicide in their Benin City, Edo State home last week by hanging herself.
The development was reported to the police by Babalola, who also took the corpse to the mortuary after she was confirmed dead by a Medical Doctor in the hospital she was rushed to.
Nwabuzor explained that Babalola’s narration on the death of his wife did not tally with those of his neighbours.
Apart from that, he also said that preliminary observations by the police did not show any signs of violence on Toluige, which would have been consistent with the theory that she committed suicide by hanging herself.
He said it was also not in the place of Babalola to bring down the corpse of Toluige, take her to the hospital then the mortuary.
He said this was the job of the police.
Nwabuzor said it was based on this that the Command’s Commissioner, CP Muhammed Dankwara, ordered an investigation into the issue.
The Police Public Relations Officer said: “On November 8, the husband, by name Lawal, reported to the Evbuotubu Division in Benin City, Edo State.
“He said that he returned from the market and met his two-year-old child, Ife Lawal, crying.
“immediately, he burst the door open and saw the wife on a rope tied to the ceiling.
“So he loosened it and cried out to the neighbours.
“They came and accompanied him to the hospital, where the wife was confirmed dead and they deposited the body at a hospital mortuary in Benin City.
“Thereafter, he went to the Evbuotubu Police Station to report the incident.
“The DPO (Divisional Police Officer) went with his operatives to the house, where they recovered the rope and suicide note allegedly written by the late woman.
“From there, the DPO went down with him to the hospital to check the body of the deceased for mark of violence.
“With all diligence, the DPO checked, but there was no mark of violence.
“Based on this, the Commissioner of Police, Dankwara, directed the DPO to immediately transfer the case to SCID for further investigation.
“There are issues alleged and there are so many sides of the coin.
“The husband said the neighbours came when he cried for help.
“And that they helped him loosen the rope from his wife’s neck.
“However, the neighbours are saying no: ‘We do not know anything about loosening the rope.’
“They said when he shouted for help, they came in and met him lying on the woman.
“There are so many issues and that is why the Commissioner of Police, in his wisdom, ordered for investigation.
“More so when there was a report from the DPO that there was no mark of violence.
“One would have expected, in all truism, a mark from the rope on the woman that died from hanging.
“That is the mark of violence we are talking about.
“So he is under investigation.”
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