Undergraduate dies while visiting Alhaji, parents try to uncover mystery surrounding her death

The death of a young lady identified as Joy Odama, has left her family in

 pain and confused about the 'mystery' surrounding her untimely passing.


Late Joy Odama who was a mass communication undergraduate at the
Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), had reportedly gone to
 one Alhaji Usman I. Adamu, who is said to be a well-known philanthropist,
to register for a scholarship grant on December 18, 2016.

She had reportedly gone in the company of one of her friends identified
as Elizabeth. According to her mother, she had spoken to her when she
went back to meet the Alhaji on December 20, after he asked her to help
 him out at home.

Speaking on her daughter's death, Mrs Philomena Odama said:

“When it was my daughter’s turn to see Alhaji Adamu,
 she  told him that she had come to seek for an assistance 
to continue with her education, but the ‘philanthropist’
 told her to come along with her mother to the house.

My daughter told me this and I decided to go there with 
her, since the quarters where the Alhaji lives were in the 
same neighborhood where we reside. I equally met other people in the house seeking for the same assistance from 
this Alhaji Adamu.

The Alhaji promised that he would support my daughter
 in school and also promised me a job at the Nigerian 
Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Two days later, on the evening of 20th of December, the
 Alhaji called my daughter, and told her that his house
 help is seriously sick and that she should please come 
and help him look after her while he goes to look for a doctor.

He also said that he has called other girls (that is some
 of
 the girls we saw in the house the previous day). My 
daughterminformed me about this and I allowed her to go. That was thenlast time I saw my daughter alive. ”

According to Mrs Odama, she had spoken to her daughter later that day while she was at the Alhaji's house. She said:

“About an hour later, she was not yet back, I called her but 
shendid not pick the call. I called her several times and there was non response.

Then I called Alhaji’s number, but he too did not pick. I 
became worried. I continued calling her number and that 
of the Alhaji every now and then and the Alhaji eventually picked his call.

However, to my surprise, he pretended not to know who l 
was or who my daughter was.

When I pressed further, he replied, ‘Did anything happen 
to Joy?’, as if he did not know where Joy was. And I knew all was not well.

We were about going to Karmo Police Station, to report 
the matter when two police officers came to my house 
and told us (myself and my husband) to follow them to
 the station. Onngetting to the station (Karmo Police station), the DPO informed us that all the girls that went to Alhaji’s house were all unconscious; that one is not responding to treatment, while others are responding to treatment.

The next day, which was December 22, 2016, I and
 some of mynrelatives and a lawyer, including a close
 family friend who worksnwith an NGO went to the police station again. That was when they informed me that my daughter was dead and has beenntaken to the mortuary.

Our lawyer asked the DPO if the Alhaji has been arrested. 
But the DPO said bluntly, ‘As far as he is concerned, no 
crime has been committed and that my daughter died a natural death and that he cannot arrest the Alhaji.”

An Abuja-based NGO identified as Basic Rights
 Enlightenment Foundation has joined the family in crying 
out to the office of the senate president, the House of Representatives, the Human Rights Commission, the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to help them in determining the actual cause
 of Joy's death and also bring the culprits to justice.

Mrs Odama who mentioned how she toiled to send Joy
 and her younger sister to school, says she suspects her daughter was killed for rituals, as her remains had already been embalmed before she was even informed about her death at the Karmo Police station. She said:

“The DPO directed us to the Federal Medical Centre
 Airport Road Abuja and on getting to the mortuary at the hospital; we discovered that my daughter’s body has been embalmed. ”