Widow sues IGP, husband’s family over son’s DNA test

Ndidiamaka Ekwerekwu, a widow, has sued Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of Police (IGP), for ordering that a DNA test be conducted on her nine-year-old son Chidera Ekwerekwu to ascertain the paternity of the child.

The order for a DNA test follows a protracted battle between the family of Victor Ekwerekwu, a late businessman,  and his widow over the paternity of the child.

The family had petitioned the IGP, on January 3, 2020, claiming that Ndidiamaka brought the child a few hours after Victor’s death and claimed that the deceased was the father of the child.

They said the couple never had any child throughout the 18 years of their marriage.

The deceased’s family also alleged that Ndidiamaka later proceeded to the probate registry where she registered the child, formerly known as Ezenwa Onochie Ekwerekwu, as next of kin of the deceased.

They asked the IGP to conduct a thorough investigation into the paternity of the child as well as the cause of Victor’s death.

The IGP, therefore, ordered the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the police, headed by Kyari, to commence an investigation immediately.

But the widow instituted a suit before D.A. Onyefulu, justice of the Anambra state high court, seeking an order restraining the IGP from releasing the result of the test conducted on the child.

According to her, subjecting the child to a DNA test “amounts to slavery, servitude and degrading treatment, which is a gross violation of his fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, as amended”.

In the suit file by C.C. Obikwelu, her legal counsel, Ndidiamaka also prayed the court to declare any result arising from the DNA test a nullity. She also demanded to be paid N6 billion as damages by both the police and her deceased husband’s family.

The plaintiff demanded “an order nullifying the result obtained from a purported DNA test conducted on the applicants forcibly without her consent and rendering such results null and void and not to be accepted by any court of law same being obtained by illegal and fraudulent means”.

Named as the first to sixth respondents are Charles Ekwerekwu, Njideka Ndiwe, Nonso Okechukwu, Adamu (IGP), Abba Kyari (deputy commissioner, police and head of IRT), and the commissioner of police, Anambra state.

The body of Victor, who died on October 29, 2019, had been in a mortuary owing to the family’s disagreement with his wife over the paternity of the boy, as well as the cause of his death.

on June 25, 2020, Ndidiamaka was arrested, after which she led police detectives to her alleged accomplice, one Hellen Ogbunankwo, who was also picked up with the child in her custody.

Although they have been in detention at the force headquarters, Abuja, the results of both maternity and paternity tests conducted on the child were being awaited.