The widow of commercial bus driver Joseph Okpe, who allegedly died after being beaten by personnel of the Nigerian Air Force along the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway in Lagos, has accused the military of abandoning her family after an initial condolence visit and promise of support.
Speaking in an emotional interview, Grace Joseph said representatives of the Air Force visited her shortly after her husband’s death, offered words of comfort and assured the family they would not be left alone. But weeks later, she says those assurances have not translated into meaningful assistance.
“They came and the way they spoke gave me hope,” the grieving mother of three said. “I felt encouraged by what they told us. But after they left, everything changed. I have not heard from them again.”
Her husband, she said, was the family’s sole provider.
“He was the one feeding us and taking care of the children. Now he is gone, and I don’t know why they have not come back or contacted us again.”
The Nigerian Air Force had earlier confirmed that officers allegedly involved in the incident had been detained and that an investigation was underway.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, spokesperson for the service, said the Air Force was “deeply saddened by the loss of life” and had immediately taken the suspected personnel into custody.
“Upon receiving information on the matter, the personnel suspected to be involved were immediately taken into custody, and the case is currently under investigation by the appropriate civil and military authorities,” the statement said.
It also noted that Air Force representatives visited the bereaved family to express sympathy and support during their difficult time.
But Grace says that visit has not been followed by any sustained assistance.
According to her, officials handed her ₦200,000 during the condolence visit to help care for her children, but she has received neither further communication nor additional support since then.
“They gave me ₦200,000 and said I should use it to feed the children. Since that day, I have never received another call from them,” she said quietly. “I feel very sad about it. I really do.”
Her greatest concern now is the future of the couple’s three children, aged 14, 10 and five.
The youngest, she said, continues to struggle with his father’s absence.
“The children keep asking about their father, especially the youngest one. Since the day my husband died, he has been crying because he misses him.”
She appealed to the government to intervene by helping secure the children’s education and welfare.
“I want the government to help me train my children and support their education. Their father was responsible for everything they needed. I want them to have a future.”
Grace also recounted the devastating night she learned her husband had died.
The couple had left home separately that morning—she to visit a relative and her husband to begin his day’s work driving.
Later that evening, after 8 p.m., she received an unexpected phone call informing her that he had been involved in an accident.
Alarmed, she contacted members of his family and tried to reach the hospital where he had reportedly been taken. But transportation proved difficult to find late at night.
As they coordinated with medical staff by telephone and pleaded that he receive urgent care until they arrived, another call came just minutes later.
The doctor informed her that her husband had died.
“The next morning, I went to the hospital,” she recalled. “When I got there, I saw my husband lying on the bed.”
Joseph Okpe reportedly died hours after an altercation involving personnel alleged to be attached to the Nigerian Air Force following a minor traffic incident on the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway.
The circumstances surrounding the confrontation remain under investigation by both civil and military authorities.
For Grace Joseph, the investigation is important. But every morning, the more immediate reality is explaining to three children—one just five years old—why the man who left home for work never came back.
