A retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Blessing Chinyere Okoro, is currently battling for survival in a critical condition after her family accused officers of the Nigeria Police of severely assaulting her. The alleged incident reportedly led to complications that prompted her rejection by a teaching hospital in Aba, Abia State.
Family members, who preferred not to be named, disclosed that the former officer developed serious abdominal issues following the alleged police beating.
Chronicles Reporter earlier reported that Okoro was arrested on May 19 over accusations of child trafficking — an allegation the family has repeatedly refuted.
“She had just undergone fibroid surgery days before her arrest,” one relative explained. “The police brutality aggravated her condition, which was only discovered when she got to prison custody.”
New details emerging from the family indicate that Okoro was rushed to a teaching hospital in Aba after her health deteriorated behind bars.
“Officials took her to the teaching hospital for urgent surgical care,” a source stated. “But she was turned down and referred for another abdominal scan. After the scan, the hospital said her case was too severe for them to handle.”
At the time of this report, family members said she was being referred to another facility in Enugu.
“They told us to move her to Enugu for more advanced treatment,” the source continued.
Despite the gravity of her situation, prison authorities allegedly provided only ₦60,000 for her treatment, while the family says expenses have already exceeded ₦1 million.
Background
Earlier in May, Chronicles Reporter revealed how Okoro — the founder of Faith, Hope, and Charity Orphanage in Ogborhill, Aba — was arrested and detained by the Abia State Police Command. The family claimed that her arrest followed a series of disputes involving property and allegations of extortion by police officers.
According to them, the police accused Okoro of child trafficking, even though she was recovering from a fibroid operation at the time and had not been taken to court or formally charged after more than ten days in custody.
A relative revealed that the trouble began with a disagreement over the house rented for the orphanage.
“The agent never told the landlord the property was for an orphanage,” the source said. “When the landlord found out, he got upset and issued a quit notice, even though he refunded the rent.”
“Okoro begged for a grace period of two weeks to relocate the children, but the landlord declined and began making trouble.”
The family claimed that the landlord eventually got her arrested by officers from Azuka Police Station in Aba, who allegedly demanded ₦300,000 for bail.
“The police later rebranded the issue as a case of operating an illegal orphanage, even though we presented CAC documents showing the orphanage is legally registered,” the source added.
When the family reported the alleged extortion to the Police Complaint Response Unit (CRU), the matter reportedly escalated. The Divisional Police Officer allegedly retaliated by accusing her of child trafficking and transferred the case to the State CID in Umuahia, where her CAC documents were allegedly seized and used against her.
The family further claimed that Okoro, her husband, and the orphanage children were photographed like criminals, and a press release was circulated portraying her as a trafficker — a move the family says has permanently damaged her reputation.
The presence of a two-month-old baby at the orphanage was also used as part of the allegations. However, the family clarified that the baby is Okoro’s grandchild, and that her daughter has since provided a birth certificate and sworn affidavit to verify this.
They also accused the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and the State Commissioner of Police of denying her bail and refusing access to her lawyer, mobile phone, and immediate family.
“Her son has been forced to pay ₦20,000 daily to facilitate the case, yet there’s no progress,” a relative said.
The family claims police officers are demanding ₦100,000 as a “mobilisation fee” to commence any formal investigation.
They are calling on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene in the matter and ensure that justice is served.
Their demands include:
- Her immediate release on bail or formal arraignment if there are legitimate charges.
- Disciplinary actions against officers allegedly involved in unlawful detention, extortion, and public defamation.
- Withdrawal and correction of the press release and images shared online.
- Protection from further harassment of her legal representatives and children.
- A reassessment of the use of the “Women Affairs License” as justification for her prolonged detention, stressing that the orphanage is CAC-certified and registered with the Ministry of Women Affairs.
Police Response
The Abia State Police Command had earlier issued a statement accusing Okoro of operating an unregistered orphanage and engaging in child trafficking.
Police spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, disclosed that 12 children were recovered during Okoro’s arrest.
“On May 19, 2025, around 11:45 am, acting on credible intelligence, detectives from the command apprehended Blessing Emebo, aged 49, and Sunday Emebo, aged 42, for running an unregistered motherless babies’ home at their residence on Ikot Ekpene Road, Aba,” the statement read.
According to the police, the children — ranging from six months to 14 years — were from various communities in Arochukwu and have been handed over to the Ministry of Women Affairs.
Chinaka added that investigations were ongoing, and that the suspects were in custody at the State CID, Umuahia, pending their arraignment.
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