Christiana Monday, a mother of three, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, seeking justice for her husband, Raphael Monday, who was murdered on September 26, 2024, at a cocoa farm in Ikom, Cross River State.

Raphael, a worker on the government-owned cocoa estate in Block 2D/66 Ikom, was killed in what Christiana believes was a brutal attack. She became worried when her husband didn’t return home at his usual time. Upon calling his phone, a police officer from Ikom Area Command answered, falsely claiming that Raphael had been arrested.

“My husband left the house on September 26, 2024, saying he was going to the farm with his father. He was killed by (the accused) and his boys, who then took his body to the mortuary without my knowledge,” she alleged.

The following day, Christiana went to the police station, only to be told to check the notice board for her husband’s name. His name was not listed. Concerned, she returned the next day with her in-laws. During this visit, she saw the same officer who had spoken to her, this time emerging from a vehicle with a man who was later identified as a suspect in the murder.

“The officer brought out a bag that I identified as my husband’s. He then informed me that my husband was dead, and the man claimed to have retrieved his body from the farm and deposited it at the mortuary,” she said.

Christiana later confirmed her husband’s death at the morgue. She also accused one of the suspects of offering her family ₦400,000 to keep quiet and bury her husband without further investigation.

“They told us to use the money to bury my husband and to claim it was his farm group, with whom he bought cocoa farms under the former Governor Ben Ayade’s government, that killed him. We refused the money,” she said.

She called on the police to question the suspects about their involvement, stating, “If he is not involved, why would they bring money to bury my husband?”

In her petition, Christiana has called on the IGP and the First Lady of Cross River State, Mrs. Eyoanwan Otu, to ensure that justice is done. She described the murder as a source of immense grief for her and her three children, who now face an uncertain future.

“I am begging the IGP and the wife of the Governor to help me. I don’t know where to start with these little children. Who will pay their school fees? Who will feed them? Should their future end just like that?”

Although one of the men accused in the case denied involvement, the situation has sparked calls for a deeper investigation. Christiana’s appeal to the authorities is a plea for justice for her late husband and her family, as well as a demand for accountability within the police force.

“I am very, very innocent of this allegation,” he said. “The matter is with the Commissioner of Police. You can get more facts from them.”

As the investigation continues, the widow remains hopeful that justice will be served for Raphael Monday’s tragic death.

“If it’s a case already ongoing, I cannot confirm because I don’t know whether they have reported to the Commissioner of Police. Investigation would be ongoing until it reaches a logical conclusion,” she stated.