By Victor Ekpadika
The quietness and peace of a highbrow neighbourhood of Asokoro District, Abuja, the Nigerian capital city, near the prominent Aso Drive residence of the late head of state, and two terms president, Muhammadu Buhari, had been shattered, as a fierce-looking team of policemen, numbering over twenty, aided by many thugs, recently stormed the private residence of the late General Christopher Adewole Jemitola, a dutiful soldier, known for his fast rise through the military service. He served in its diverse positions, including Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Spokesman of Defence Information, foreign military attaché and lately as Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP), before he retired from service.
Residents of the street and those who live in the late general’s house told Our Reporters, that they were woken up that early by a restive crowd (all men) that stormed the late general’s house. “Yelling and brandishing the guns like the ‘Gestapos’, they banged at the iron-gate and made frantic but failed attempts to climb the walls with a ladder. It gave us initial impression that they were some organised assassins. But several answered telephone calls, made to the nearby police division, however reduced our fears that they were after all policemen on sting operations” A woman from the nearby house had volunteered comments, under anonymity.
Mrs. Safiya Ibrahim Mamman-Jemitola, surviving wife of the late army general, was obviously the target of the alleged invasion, further alleged to have been masterminded by a 28 years-old Caleb Jemitola, son of the late soldier, on the prodding of his mother, Madam Josephine Oki. Underlying cause of the operations is counter-claims to the inheritance of the late soldier by the Safiya-widow, Mr. Caleb Jemitola and his sister, Iman Jemitola. The sting operations were purportedly led by policemen from the newly-established Force Intelligence Department (FID) and IPJ unit.
The claim by Mrs. Safiya Jemitola that Caleb, led by the police, and the many thugs he allegedly drafted in, had destroyed the outside gate, including several other solid metal doors, unto the house’s topmost floor, in failed attempts to reach her. She also showed two sand dumps, near the motor garage, brought in pick-up vehicles by his thugs, threatening that her grave was being prepared with them, even as the policemen allegedly carried out the invasion of the house. Videos and photograph footages were widespread and buttress the alleged invasion that had been condemned by the public.
Mrs. Safiya Jemitola said there was a fowl-play in the shoddy handling by the police, where a high ranking policeman from the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who was supposed to know better, was a leader of the sting operations, which oddly conducts left a sour taste in the mouth.
But, several investigation visits to the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) of the IGP office in Abuja, to ASP Benjamin Hundeyin, to respond to the purported skewed operations by men of the IGP office, were fruitless, as he was out of office. Interestingly, anonymous police sources, within his information unit, however, disproved that IGP Kayode Egbetokun, had personal interests in the alleged unfair treatment of Mrs. Safiya Jemitola by his policemen, as asserted by those who carried out the said invasion.
“We also believe that the IGP did not frustrate moves getting his IGP’s Monitoring Unit to investigate the criminal charges leveled against his son, the police and others. Perpetrators of the said invasion must have done so in their own volition”. The same anonymous sources had maintained.
Our Reporters were also hinted that the alleged invasion of the late general’s house and the said threats to Mrs. Safiya Jemitola and intimidation by Caleb Jemitola, the police and others, on the guise of serving her a court letter, was not the first time of such incidents. On her Twitter’s handle posts of 28th December, 2025, Mrs. Jemitola’s insertions decried what she called five stages of intimidation and invasion.
Her petition letter to the IGP was received on 10th November, 2025, where she called for protection for herself and arrest of Caleb Jemitola, for alleged threats to her life, criminal defamation, and false statements to the police. Her request for a copy of a former petition to the FID, that led to the ransack search of her matrimonial home, and detention for hours, by six police men and women, on a false allegation by Caleb, was frustrated. She was accused of possessing firearms and ammunitions, with which she had threatened Caleb, and her sister, Iman.
After carrying out detailed search on the house, she said no incriminating items were found. The matter was twisted after investigation by Our Reporter to IGP’s Monitoring unit, when some of its officers on anonymity, confirmed that the FID had informed them that there was no documentations or clue to the fact that the late Jemitola’s residence was searched, thus giving credence to Safiya’s claim of unlawful police duties.
When a team of journalists called Caleb Jemitola and his mother, Josephine Oki on the phone, to hear their own sides of the story, both had declined, variously.
But a suit before the Abuja High Court of Justice, (SUIT NO: FCT/CV/2121/25), filled on 12th November, 2025, with Hon. Justice Chizoba N. Oji presiding, Mrs. Sefiya Jemitola sued Dr. John Idahosa, Mr. Segun Mekadese and Abodunri Peter Kayode, Esq., and the Probate Registrar, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged reading of an illegal will of the late general.
Interestingly, a suit (No:SUIT/PET/519/2022) much earlier determined on 2/5/23 at an Abuja High Court, Mr. Christopher Adewole Jemitola, via an amendment of an original suit filed on 25th November, 2022, a divorce was secured between the late general and his former wife, Josephine Oki. However, some friends and relations of the late general, averred that Safiya got married in 2024 to the late Chris Jemitola, in an elaborate ceremony, attended by both families of the bride and groom, including Caleb and Iman, children of the late general and stepchildren to widow-Safiya; his surviving-wife.
