Pastor Godwin Udoh of the Full Gospel Church of God in Egbeda, Lagos, has recounted the harrowing story of how his wife, Comfort, was shot dead by a drunken policeman in 2015 and how the Nigerian justice system has failed his family ever since.
Udoh, a 54-year-old printer and father of four, recalled the tragic events of September 15, 2015. He and his family were returning from a church service in Ejigbo to their new home in Abaranje when their tricycle was stopped by policemen at a checkpoint near Ijegun.
One of the officers, Corporal Musiliu Aremu, demanded a N2,000 bribe. Despite explanations from Udoh and his wife that they were just returning from church and did not have the money, Aremu cocked his gun and opened fire.
“My wife was carrying our 11-month-old baby,” he said. “Before I could finish telling her that they wouldn’t shoot, the policeman fired. The bullet shattered my jaw and arm. Then my children screamed that their mother was dying. The bullet had gone through her head.”
The police officers fled the scene, leaving the family in a pool of blood. Several hospitals refused to treat them without a police report. Eventually, a Good Samaritan took them to Igando General Hospital. After obtaining a report from the Idimu Area Command, they were treated—Udoh was sent to LUTH, and his wife to Mainland Hospital. He later found out that his wife had died.
Udoh said the then Inspector General of Police promised justice and support, including scholarships for his children and medical coverage. However, those promises were never fulfilled.
“The scholarship certificate they gave only covered primary school, contrary to the IG’s promise of university coverage. Till today, no compensation has been paid.”
His jaw, still fitted with a painful metal rod, prevents him from chewing solid food. His first daughter, who witnessed the shooting, has suffered brain trauma and frequent convulsions ever since.
The police officer responsible was arrested and arraigned at Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court but was later granted bail without the knowledge of the trial court. He absconded, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
“I later found out that another judge granted him bail because the DPP didn’t give legal advice on time,” Udoh said. “They wrote to all prisons in Lagos, but none had him. He was freed and disappeared.”
In 2020, the Federal High Court awarded Udoh N100 million in damages, but the Attorney General appealed the case, claiming insufficient time to review it. The appeal is set for hearing on April 31.
Udoh, who has not remarried, says his children regularly ask why their mother’s killer walks free. He estimates that he would need about N7–N7.5 million for surgery abroad to repair his jaw, based on a 2017 medical quotation.
“My wife was everything—supportive, hardworking, and loving. Her death left a void. My children want justice. They keep asking me when it will come,” he said.
