EndSARS: 'My papa na good police officer but dem kill am during di protest'

“My husband follow im team go work dat day, in di evening im team members call me say dem rush am go hospital. When I reach di hospital, doctors no gree me to see am dat night. Dem gather round am say dem dey treat am. I bin dey hear im cry as im dey in pain.

For morning, di hospital say dem wan do one test on am, say make I bring money, I rush home to go find money, wen I come back dem say e don die.”

Mrs Ifeoma Dorathy Ugwu wey her police officer husband die during di EndSARS nationwide protest of October 2020btok as she tori how her husband die as di kontri mark di fourth anniversary of dat deadly nationwide protests.

She tell BBC Pidgin how her husband Inspector Maurice Ugwu die in di line of duty for Lagos Southwest Nigeria and leave am with 4 children.

She say she be house wife since her husband marry her for 1998 and she no get any work wen di officer die. Now, she dey struggle to feed and take care of her four kids.

Her husband die on 22 October after unknown pipo attack am, two days after di deadly protest for Lekki tollgate where soldiers open fire on protesters.

Police oga dat year Mohammed Adamu tok say 22 of dia officers loose dia lives during di protests as hoodlums target security personnel especially police.

Hoodlums also burn or destroy 205 police stations during di protest.

Di protest also lead to di death of plenti civilians and soldiers. Looting and destruction of properties worth billions of naira follow for oda tins wey happun during di protest.

Amnesty International say about 56 die during di protest, say 12 of dem die for Lekki Tollgate wit plenty pipo gather to do protest but soldiers open fire on dem.

Her husband na just one out of plenti police officers wey die during di EndSARS protest.

Wetin happen during EndSARS protest

Plenti Nigerians especially youths enter street nationwide to protest against police brutality and killings. Dem bin demand make goment special police division dem dey call SARS.

Di protest start for 8 October 2020 and bin dey waka small small until kasala burst and di protest turn violent.

Today dey mark di fourth anniversary of dat protest.

Madam Ugwu tell BBC Pidgin how her husband Inspector Maurice Ugwu die in di line of duty for Lagos Southwest Nigeria and leave am with 4 children.

She say she be house wife since her husband marry her for 1998 and she no get any work wen di officer die. Now she dey struggle to feed and take care of her four pikin dem.

'I never collect im pension since four years'

For Madam Ugwu, life never dey di same again since di death of her husband. She say she dey struggle to take care of di four kids wey her husband leave for am.

Her husband bin dey work wit Iponri police station Lagos while im family dey stay for di Iponri police barracks.

According to her, during di EndSARS protest fellow officers find her husband under bridge and rush am to di hospital before dem inform her on 22 October 2024. Her husband die di next day.

Na so di mother of four turn to widow. She say na God dey help am since di death of her husband.

Some months later, dem go bury dia papa wey be di bread winner of dia home.

Wen we ask her how she feel wen she go bury her own husband, her voice change, she begin cry say “na tough period for me, cos wen im die, I bin no dey do anytin, na after im burial and mourning period one Reverend Sister get me di job I dey do now”.

She confirm say police pay her husband insurance and cooperative money but till date she never collect im pension money.

She say, “we don go for di pension money plenti times, but wetin dem dey demand from us plenti. If we provide one dem go ask for another”.

According to her, those demands follow for wetin make Police Pension office never release di pension money, say she dey aware of some other deceased family wey don collect di pension money.

My papa na good man - Inspector Ugwu daughter

Her first daughter Amarachukwu Ugwu wey be student for one high institution for Enugu south east Nigeria, tell BBC Pidgin say na suffer di protest bring to dia family.

“Now, I dey struggle to pay my rent for school, school fees matter dey dia, to feed na wahala and I no fit dey worry my mama for evritin as I get younger ones wey she dey take care of too”, na so Amarachukwu tok.

She say recently, police authorities give order make dem pack comot from di police barracks wia her family dey stay, unto say dem wan renovate am.

She say, “some pipo don pack comot from di barracks, but we no know wia we wan pack go, we still dey here”.

She add say, "my papa be good man, e kind and strict and na generous man. E love im job well well".

For Document wey Nigeria Police show BBC Pidgin, 7 names of deceased police officers wey die during di EndSARS protest dey dia including dat of late Inspector Paul Maurice Ugwu.

Lagos state Govnor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gift families of six of di police officers wey die 10 million Naira each and promise dia kids scholarships to university level to console dem, but di family of inspector Paul Ugwu no reflect for names of pipo wey receive di govnors gift.

Mrs Ugwu now dey work as a receptionist for one Catholic Church and dey manage use her salary to take care of her kids.

"I dey call di Inspector General of police to help di widows of late police officers, we dey suffer too much, make im help us to start up something so we can stand on our own", na so she tok.

On top tok about protests for Nigeria, she give advise say, "I no fit encourage any pesin to ever join any form of protest ever again, sake of wetin protest don show me for life.”

During di last three anniversaries of EndSARS protest, pipo dey enter street do peaceful protests across Nigeria in remembrance of pipo wey die or injure during di protest.

E never dey clear weda dem go do anode protest today. However as I dey write dis report Saturday night into Sunday morning, plenty pipo don already begin tweet 'EndSARS' for social media in remembrance of di protest.

Di question wey still dey pipo mouth however na weda di protest achieve di target of ending police brutality for di kontri, or if di pipo wey die, both Inspector Ugwu, im colleagues or di oda civilians, weda dia death dey in vain.