Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
For more than 16 months, Mr Elijah Ndubuisi Amah has lived with a pain that refuses to go away. His wife, Mrs Nkechi Florence Elijah, died on April 9, 2025, at the age of 32. But while death ordinarily marks the beginning of mourning and burial, for Amah, it has become a prolonged battle to give his wife what he describes as her final dignity — a resting place.
The remains of Nkechi have remained in a mortuary since her death, with the husband, a former councillor and indigene of Umuzomgbo, Ihechiowa, in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, appealing to the state government and other authorities to intervene. “I only want to bury my wife,” Amah said, expressing frustration over months of moving between authorities, courts, police stations and community leaders in search of a resolution.
According to him, efforts to bury his wife have been frustrated by a dispute involving the traditional leadership of his community. Amah alleged that the Traditional Ruler of Umuzomgbo ancient kingdom, HRM Eze Linus Nto Mba, who also serves as the Chairman of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, is behind the opposition. He said the monarch accused him of having a hand in her death. The 54-year-old petty trader denied any involvement in his wife’s death, saying neither her family nor anyone else in the community had accused him. He added that his in-laws had submitted statements, including an affidavit, to the police supporting the release of her remains for burial.
Amah said he eventually fixed April 26, 2026, for the burial after making the necessary arrangements. But the burial did not take place. He alleged that he was re-arrested on the day of the scheduled burial, following an earlier detention that lasted about three months. He alleged that he was first arrested on April 11, 2025, two days after his wife’s death, and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, where he remained until May 16, 2025, when he was granted bail with the intervention of his in-laws. He further alleged that he was arrested again on September 2, 2025, at the instance of the traditional ruler and remained in detention until December 17, 2025, when he regained his freedom following a court order.
Amah claimed that the dispute was rooted partly in his involvement in calls for greater transparency in community affairs. He alleged that he and some youths questioned aspects of community administration, including the conduct of the annual New Yam Festival and the management of revenue from two telecommunications masts located on community land. According to him, he wrote to the community leadership seeking that the festival be celebrated according to tradition and requesting an account of revenue from the masts. Amah alleged that Eze Nto Mba told members that about ₦12 million had been received from the telecommunications companies over 17 years. He further alleged that the monarch said he had personally spent about ₦8 million grading community farm roads and that the community owed him that amount. Amah said he subsequently became a target of persecution for allegedly leading demands for accountability. He also claimed that some youths who supported the demand were intimidated into submission.
However, Eze Linus Nto Mbah has strongly denied the allegations. In a statement, the traditional ruler described the story as malicious and a falsehood designed to tarnish his reputation. He explained that it was the Umuzomgbo community Chiefs and the President General who told Elijah Amah to report himself to the Police following some allegations by community members that he was responsible for his wife’s death. The Monarch said Amah refused to report himself to the Police as directed by the Chiefs and the President General, noting that his refusal prompted the members of Umuzomgbo community to invite the Police to investigate the cause of the woman’s death. Eze Mbah explained that the Mayor of Arochukwu Local Government Area and security agencies were also informed about the matter.
The monarch further pointed out that Policemen from Arochukwu Division arrested Mr Elijah Amah and sent him to the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Umuahia for investigation, noting that a request by the Police to conduct an autopsy on the late wife of Amah was rejected by the husband, even when the money for the autopsy was provided. Eze Mbah threatened to sue the person behind the online publication for allegedly defaming him. The leadership of the community has also reacted to the allegation leveled against their traditional ruler, describing the accusation as baseless and unfounded.
More than 15 months after the death of Mrs Nkechi Florence Elijah, her remains are yet to be laid to rest as a protracted dispute between her husband and members of their community over an autopsy continues to stall her burial. Despite obtaining a court judgment permitting the burial of his wife, Amah has continued to face obstacles. He appealed to the Abia State Government, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to intervene and ensure that his wife is given a peaceful burial. The police have stated that there is no evidence that he killed her and no mark of violence on the corpse. Yet, the dispute remains unresolved, and the body of Nkechi Florence Elijah continues to lie in a mortuary, awaiting a peace that seems as distant as the day she died.
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