*Police: No evidence he killed her, no mark of violence on corpse
*Monarch insists on autopsy to establish cause of death
*Family: Let her be buried; autopsy is against our tradition
By Steve Oko
UMUAHIA — For more than 16 months, Mr Elijah Ndubuisi Amah has lived with a pain that refuses to go away. His wife, Mrs Nkechi Florence Elijah, died on April 9, 2025, at the age of 32. But while death ordinarily marks the beginning of mourning and burial, for Amah, it has become a prolonged battle to give his wife what he describes as her final dignity — a resting place.
The remains of Nkechi have remained in a mortuary since her death, with the husband, a former councillor and indigene of Umuzomgbo, Ihechiowa, in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, appealing to the state government and other authorities to intervene.
“I only want to bury my wife,” Amah said, expressing frustration over months of moving between authorities, courts, police stations and community leaders in search of a resolution.
According to him, efforts to bury his wife have been frustrated by a dispute involving the traditional leadership of his community.
Amah alleged that the Traditional Ruler of Umuzomgbo ancient kingdom, HRM Eze Linus Nto Mba, is behind the opposition to his efforts to bury Nkechi. He said the monarch accused him of having a hand in her death.
The 54-year-old petty trader denied any involvement in his wife’s death, saying neither her family nor anyone else in the community had accused him. He added that his in-laws had submitted statements, including an affidavit, to the police supporting the release of her remains for burial.
A burial that never happened
Amah said he eventually fixed April 26, 2026, for the burial after making the necessary arrangements. But the burial did not take place. He alleged that he was re-arrested on the day of the scheduled burial, following an earlier detention that lasted about three months.
He alleged that he was first arrested on April 11, 2025, two days after his wife’s death, and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, where he remained until May 16, 2025, when he was granted bail with the intervention of his in-laws.
He further alleged that he was arrested again on September 2, 2025, at the instance of the traditional ruler and remained in detention until December 17, 2025, when he regained his freedom following a court order.
‘I am being persecuted for demanding accountability’
Amah claimed that the dispute was rooted partly in his involvement in calls for greater transparency in community affairs.
He alleged that he and some youths questioned aspects of community administration, including the conduct of the annual New Yam Festival and the management of revenue from two telecommunications masts located on community land.
According to him, he wrote to the community leadership seeking that the festival be celebrated according to tradition and requesting an account of revenue from the masts. Amah alleged that Eze Nto Mba told members that about ₦12 million had been received from the telecommunications companies over 17 years.
He further alleged that the monarch said he had personally spent about ₦8 million grading community farm roads and that the community owed him that amount.
Amah said he subsequently became a target of persecution for allegedly leading demands for accountability. He also claimed that some youths who supported the demand were intimidated into submission.
He alleged that the community’s Ezego (Chief) and President-General, whom he said supported his request to bury his wife, were removed from office by the paramount ruler.
“ I only want to bury my wife and allow her to rest,” he sobbed.
Amah appealed to Governor Alex Otti, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to intervene.
Insisting that his wife died of natural causes, Amah said he was not opposed to an investigation to establish the cause of death. He said she was hypertensive and had no bruises suggesting violence, adding that they had lived peacefully.
Monarch denies persecution
Eze Linus Nto Mba disputed Amah’s account, accusing him of attempting to damage his reputation with fabricated allegations.
The monarch said the community raised concerns over the circumstances of Nkechi’s death and accused Amah of involvement, prompting calls for him to report to the police. He said Amah was subsequently picked up for investigation.
According to Eze Mba, the police indicated that an autopsy would be conducted to establish the cause of death. He claimed funds had already been provided for the procedure and that Amah was invited to participate but did not appear.
He maintained that the matter was before the Commissioner of Police and the SCID, adding that the burial had been kept pending until the cause of death was determined.
Speaking with Vanguard, Eze Nto Mba denied persecuting Amah over his wife’s death, insisting that the demand for an autopsy was solely to establish the circumstances surrounding it.
“If his hand is clean, the police want to know how his wife died. How did this woman die?” he asked, stressing that he was not responsible for the police investigation or the delay in burial.
He said the police took over the matter following a complaint by his kinsmen, who feared there could be mass arrests and wanted the death investigated.
Nto Mba also denied persecuting Amah over demands for accountability for funds from MTN mast installations.
“Such claim is absolute nonsense! That’s completely nonsense,” he said, insisting that the funds belonged to the community and had been accounted for.
According to him, “The two times MTN had paid, the money was accounted for. I even spent my own money to add to that one to grade our road. Apart from that, I have been spending money for the community. I have so many projects I did for them.”
He accused Amah of deliberately scandalising his name rather than addressing the issues before the appropriate authorities.
‘We don’t need autopsy; it’s against our tradition’
The deceased’s elder brother, Mr David Onyema, said the family’s priority was to bury Nkechi and allow her spirit to rest.
“She was my younger sister. Since this happened, the traditional ruler who involved the police has not even met with us. I don’t know why he is preventing the woman from being buried. Our in-law has told us what happened, and we cannot question God. We gave him the benefit of the doubt that he could not have killed his wife. For us, God allowed the death and He alone knows what happened.”
Onyema said he had made a statement at the State CID and that the family did not want an autopsy because it was against their tradition.
“I have been to the State CID and made my statement. We don’t need an autopsy. Let my in-law bury his wife. But since then, I don’t know what the police are doing.
“There was even a court order directing that she be buried within 24 hours, but that period has elapsed and she has still not been buried. I don’t understand what is happening.
“I am even angry with the traditional ruler. I expected to meet him at the police station and ask why he was interested in the matter. I don’t know what he wants to achieve by delaying the burial.”
Asked whether there had been any quarrel or violence between his sister and her husband, Onyema said there had never been any report of assault.
“There was never any report of assault or violence against my sister. Now that she is dead, what is needed is to bury her and give her the necessary rites.”
‘I can’t say Amah killed his wife, I wasn’t there’
A former President-General of the community, Elder Kalu Obasi, said he could not accuse Amah of killing his wife because he was not present when she died.
Obasi, a retired principal, said he returned from the farm to learn that Nkechi had taken ill and was rushed to hospital.
“There was never a time we met as a community during my time as President-General and asked him to go and report to the police,” he said.
Obasi questioned the basis for accusing Amah of murder without an eyewitness.
“I can’t say somebody killed his wife or husband when nobody has come out to say he or she was there when it happened. Murder is a serious criminal case, and you must have your facts.”
He said the deceased had once worked as a teacher at a school he managed and that he was unaware of any serious disagreement between her and her husband.
On claims that Amah led youths demanding accountability, Obasi said he knew some youths from Port Harcourt had come to the village over concerns about community management but could not confirm that Amah led them.
‘My husband is suffering for refusing to oppress an innocent man’
When contacted, the Ezeogo of the community, Anthony Kalu, who was purportedly removed and replaced on the monarch’s orders, said he was on a sick bed.
His wife, Lolo Comfort Kalu, corroborated Amah’s account, saying her husband was removed for standing on the side of truth.
She said her husband hated injustice and saw no reason to persecute Amah over his wife’s death.
Lolo Comfort also said her husband was suffering from a “strange ailment”, which she suspected was spiritually projected to force him out of the title.
“They know that another Ezeogo cannot emerge when the incumbent is still alive. If not that I am spiritually strong, I would have been struck down with stroke. The God we serve is the one fighting our battle,” she said.
She called for government intervention and a probe into the matter, maintaining that Amah had no known issues with his wife that would warrant suspicion.
‘No evidence of violence on the corpse’ — Police
The Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO Maureen Chinaka, said there was no evidence linking Amah to his wife’s death.
Chinaka said neither the deceased’s family nor Amah’s family had accused him of killing her.
According to her, the State CID established that Amah and the traditional ruler had been at loggerheads before Nkechi’s death following demands by Amah for the monarch to account for funds from an MTN mast.
She said the traditional ruler subsequently alleged that Amah killed his wife, but “he has not brought any evidence” to substantiate the claim. Chinaka said police examination of the corpse revealed “no mark of violence” and that there was no basis to conclude that the woman was murdered.
She explained that while an autopsy by a pathologist would ordinarily establish the definitive cause of death, the deceased’s family and husband said it was against their tradition.
The matter was therefore referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions, DPP, which advised that the interest and wishes of the family should be respected, particularly as both families said they did not suspect Amah and wanted the deceased buried.
“From the advice of the DPP, the interest of the family should be considered,” Chinaka said, adding that the family should come to the State CID for a meeting on procedures for collecting the corpse.
On the monarch’s claim that the community had already paid for the autopsy, Chinaka said, “maybe she was not briefed to that extent.”
She further said the State CID had asked the family to come forward if they wished to bury the deceased, explaining that they would need to make a statement and obtain a court order before the corpse could be released.
“There is no evidence for now showing that he killed his wife,” the PPRO stressed.
For Amah, every passing day means another day his wife remains between death and burial.
“I want justice. I want my wife buried.”
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