By Joy Umo
A 34 year old widow, Mrs Deborah Ashibi, has alleged a cover up in the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, Christopher Ashibi, an officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, whom she claimed was killed by a vehicle in the convoy of Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu.
Mrs Ashibi made the allegation in Calabar on Friday, insisting that attempts were being made to shield those responsible for the incident, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
She said the incident occurred on April 11, 2026, near the State Secretariat along Murtala Mohammed Highway, when her husband was reportedly struck by a vehicle said to be part of the governor’s convoy.
According to her, although she was not at the scene, eyewitnesses narrated to her son how the tragedy unfolded.
“He was not crossing the road. He was walking by the roadside when a vehicle, trying to dodge a bus, hit him,” she said.
She further alleged that the driver fled the scene after the impact.
“Eyewitnesses said the driver sped off immediately after hitting him. They said it was the last vehicle in the convoy.
“The same vehicle later returned. The driver saw that he was still breathing and still drove away without helping,” she added.
Mrs Ashibi said her husband was left on the ground struggling for his life, while bystanders made efforts to seek help. She expressed anger that neither the state government nor officials from his workplace had visited the family since the incident.
“All I hear is that there are moves to deny responsibility for my husband’s death. I don’t know how I am going to cope. My husband was everything to this family,” she said.
She noted that the deceased had been making plans to establish a business for her and support their children’s future before his death.
“My first son is 19 and has just gained admission to study Civil Engineering, while my last child is six years old,” she said.
The couple’s first son, Shedrack, also alleged that his father might have survived if help had come promptly.
“He was still breathing. If they had rushed him to the hospital immediately, he might have survived. My father was a strong man,” he said.
He described his late father as a devoted family man and appealed to authorities to show compassion.
“I didn’t know my father would leave this early. He was the one holding everything together for us. Let them come and sympathise with my mother,” he added.
Reacting, the Cross River State Government described the incident as unfortunate and expressed sympathy with the family.
The Commissioner for Information, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, told NAN that an investigation would be carried out to determine what transpired.
Similarly, the NSCDC confirmed that the officer was knocked down by a vehicle but said it could not immediately establish who was responsible.
A senior official of the corps, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said efforts were ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.