[JUST IN] Late Bimbo Martins-Ogbonna: Family cries out over pressure to settle out of court

The family of late Abimbola Martins-Ogbonna who died in a fire incident recently, has accused the police of cover-up, intimidation and attempt to force the family into out-of-court settlement with her husband.

The family also alleged that the police had changed the charges from manslaughter to negligence, just to free the deceased’s husband.

Spokesperson to the Martins family, Mr Wisdom Martins, said his family has come under serious pressure to drop the case, adding that even the matriarch of the family Mrs. Comfort Martins,( mother of the deceased) was arrested on Friday December 24, 2022, apparently in bid to intimidate the family and have them succumb to out of court settlement .

He alleged that all these were happening because of the influence of a certain retired commissioner of police (names withheld).

Recall that Bimbo died on October 15th over injuries she sustained in a fire incident on October 12.

Martins, who addressed the press in the Martins’ family house Monday, said he was also arrested alongside the deceased mother, but dismissed the petition on which the police acted on, as ridiculous and laughable.

According to him, “The petition upon which Mama and I were arrested was all trumped up to intimidate the family and change the narrative.”

“After the death of our sister, a team of experts including the police, department for domestic violence in Lagos State and fire department all went to inspect the crime scene.

“They had to take her husband to accompany them because the first time they went, the house was locked. So the breaking of the house to do the examination and forensics was done in his presence.  ”In his estate, only permission from him could grant any visitor or family member access. So, how Mama or any of us had access to his house to steal money which was alleged in the petition is not just laughable but figment of the accuser’s imagination.”

Martins said immediately after the incident and even days before his sister’s death, her husband was not in the house. He did a voice note later that he was running around to raise money for hospital bills, wondering how somebody who was running around for hospital bills could turn around to say $20,000 was stolen in his room.

“Firstly, it is laughable because he alleged we stole twenty thousand dollars from his house. Yet, when my sister died, he sent a voice note that he did not abscond on the day of the fire incident, rather he left to seek financial aid from his friends and associates, since he knows that hospitals will require money.

“On that fateful day, it was even total strangers that rushed our sister to the hospital and now, he suddenly had $20,000 which he accused the family of stealing even while mourning our daughter.

Martins said immediately after his mother was released, the family had been put under immense pressure to accept out-of-court settlement and the police had even fixed Wednesday this week for the family to meet with the deceased husband’s family to reach an agreement and resolve the matter.

“They are claiming that for the sake of the children, we should settle out of court and he would open an account for the children’s upkeep and we should allow him to have access to the children. But we, the Martins family, want justice to run its course and whoever is culpable in our daughter’s death, should face the penalty,” Martins added.