Ahmed kolawole, husband of a pregnant woman killed by a drunk driver in Ibadan, Oyo State, talks to TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN about his futile efforts to get justice for his late wife
How was your wife killed?
My wife (Temitope) was coming from antenatal on October 8, 2018 on Jericho road, Ibadan, Oyo State, opposite First Bank. She was crossing the road and was hit and run over by a driver, Ayoola Mustapha. Everything was wrong with the accident. The guy was drunk. He was driving without driving licence, vehicle particulars and also speeding. There are evidence to support these claims with the police and the duplicated copies with our lawyer.
Were you at the scene of the accident?
I was in Dugbe, not far from where the accident happened. Before that time, we still spoke and she told me she was still at the hospital at noon. She died before 1pm because she was taken to the mortuary at 1.15pm.
I got a call some minutes before 2pm that my wife was involved in a minor accident that I should come to the road safety office, which is also not far from the scene. The guy who drove the vehicle was caught at the spot and handed over to the police.
What did you do after the accident?
He was charged to court a day after the accident and he was freed on bail. The police went with crooked charges against him.
What did you do after he was released on bail?
We wrote a petition to the commissioner of police and the State Criminal Investigation Department. We had to get fiat from the Ministry of Justice to be able to privately prosecute him. With all the compelling evidence, our lawyer charged him with murder. On January 16, he was remanded, awaiting the Directorate of Public Prosecution’s advice. When the advice came, he was said to have driven recklessly. Bail or no bail, the basis of his charges is faulty. They are trying to give him a slap on the wrist. The only thing that can affect this is to have him properly charged. That was the reason we got a fiat in the first place. As the lawyer changed the charges, the magistrate court could not sit on the case, it was to be transferred to high court. With the advice, we can’t go to the high court, except they charge him properly. That was what the lawyer explained to me.
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What did your lawyer advise you to do?
If we can pressurise the DPP, ministry of Justice, through the attorney general to change the advice and charge him properly with the evidence against him, then prosecution can go on.
Everything I have said is with police, just that they are looking at that, and still manipulating justice. I just want him to get what he deserves. If it was a case of an accident outside negligence, things would have been different. How can I survive knowing someone’s negligence killed my wife, destroyed my life, and he walks freely.
What was the last thing your wife said to you?
I wanted her to check something on the Internet for me. She checked and called me back but I wasn’t satisfied with her report. I told her she didn’t get the best result because she wasn’t totally interested in checking for me, which she denied. She said I should explain exactly what I wanted her to search and she did, calling back a few minutes after. I was satisfied and I thanked her, and she said “oko mi oloju dudu, leyin to ti bu mi tan (my husband with black eyes after you have abused me).” That’s how she always described me when she’s trying to be funny.
What kind of a woman was she?
She was a perfect example of a good woman, a perfect wife and best mother to her child. No single person you ask about her would say any negative things about her. She was almost perfect as a person; peaceful and loving, honest and caring. I always bragged about my wife whenever there was a discussion about wives. She treated everyone right, just because she’s like that and not for her to be praised or liked for doing so. Talk to people from her work place, family members, friends and neighbours, they would say just that about her. You know how difficult it is to satisfy people, but my wife did just that. Not a day passes without me praying at least 20 times for her; she earned that and more than that. She was the best woman anyone can dream of. I can talk about how much she cared about everyone from now till tomorrow and I will still be able to say something. Her death is a big loss to me and everyone who knew her.
Where is your daughter?
My daughter stays with my wife’s aunt in Ibadan. I pick her up on Friday to return on Sunday because of school. Not that I am happy with such arrangement, but I don’t have a choice. I don’t have the stability to handle her going to school every day and other things attached to it.
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