Following the death of his wife, Abimbola, Ikechukwu Ogbonna, also known as IVD, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. The Lagos State Government filed a manslaughter allegation against the celebrity vehicle dealer, IVD, before the High Court of Lagos, Ikeja, through the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). The claim originates from the murder of his wife, Abimbola, in a fiery incident at their house in the state’s Lekki region on October 15, 2022. The original charge has been increased by another count charge. The DPP has charged the auto dealer with involuntary manslaughter, a violation of Section 229 of the Lagos Criminal Code.
Ikechukwu has entered a not guilty plea to the charge, and his trial has begun before Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay. According to DSP Fetuga Olatunji, who was led in testimony by counsel for the Lagos State Government, it was the late Abimbola who filed a petition against her husband before to her death.
DSP Olatunji said:
“The AIG gave a directive to effect the arrest of the defendant (Ikechukwu) for attempted murder, threat to life, domestic violence, and conduct likely to cause the breach of peace. When we learnt that the matter was reported at the Ajah Police Station, a signal was sent that both the case file and the suspect be transferred to the zonal headquarters.
“My team obtained a statement from Abimbola’s mother because she (Abimbola) was not in the right state of health. However, two days later, and while waiting for the case file alongside the suspect to be brought to Zone 2, another information came that Abimbola had died.
“At that point, the AIG ordered that the matter should be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, for proper investigation.”
The witness claimed that he and his colleagues were unable to get a report regarding the defendant (Ikechukwu) because he was nowhere to be found and that his phones were switched off during cross-examination by IVD’s attorney, Victor Ogunde (SAN).
“Every concluded investigation must have a police report. The reason we didn’t have a report is because the investigation on the case was not concluded by us,” he said.
The case file’s index, entry, minute sheet, statement of the complainant’s witness, certified true copy (CTC), of the petition, and a copy of the signal to the Ajah Police Station were then admitted as exhibits by Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay.
The trial was then adjourned to December 13, 2023, by the presiding judge.