BY SONNY ARAGBA-AKPORE, EMMA EKE AND SUNDAY ORISAKWE

A police source told The Guardian yesterday that one of the members of the police team that went to ensure a successful takeover of the telecommunications company by the receiver/manager may have ordered the shooting to demobilise him.

The Lagos Police Command spokesman, Mr. Bode Ojajuni, however, spiritedly refuted the report, wondering where such indications originated.

The development came as the wife of the late chief executive, Shade, rose in staunch defence of her husband, dismissing claims that Joseph jumped to his death as "ludicrous".

Mrs. Joseph declared in a statement."This cruel characterisation of my husband cannot go unchallenged and I am therefore compelled to use this medium to try to put a stop to what appears to be a calculated attempt to manipulate the media... My husband, Charles Alaba Joseph did not kill himself."

Similarly, the chairman of the company, Major-General Tanko Ayuba had, in at press briefing yesterday, confirmed that Joseph was murdered in mysterious circumstances.

He maintained that in a letter to the Board of Directors dated September 1, Joseph had tendered his resignation to pave way for the take-over of the firm by the receiver/manager .

"We have had several dialogues with all parties concerned on the best approach to go about the take over plan, which was to be given final approval by the Board on Thursday (September 15) by 2 p.m. only to hear of the unfortunate incident of his death," Ayuba said.

The retired general added that the company is eagerly awaiting the autopsy report to know what next line of action to take.

The police source told The Guardian that Joseph attempted to leave the premises through the car park when an official of the debt recovery department of the bank spotted him and ordered one of the policemen to shoot to stop him from escaping.

Unconfirmed reports said that having discovered that the man was dead, the police allegedly moved him to the balcony, dumped him and fled the scene.

According to the source, the bank official who ordered the shooting is now cooling his feet in police cell, adding that those involved in the incident may be attempting to influence the autopsy report.

But Ojajuni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who said the police had nothing to do with the death queried: "How can the police kill somebody they had no contact with.

"It is only The Guardian that is trying to involve the police in this matter. Go to the place of the incident and ask the witnesses there if they saw the police shoot the man. If the police was shooting, there would have been sound. You people can also investigate the matter and see if the police are involved or not(involved) in the man's death".

Excerpts of Mrs. Joseph's statement yesterday read: "It is barely 24 hours since my husband was killed and I have been shaken out of what should naturally be a period of mourning.

"During yesterday evening, I learned that media reporting had severally claimed that my husband killed himself on account of the financial troubles that his company was facing. This cruel characterization of my husband cannot go unchallenged and I am therefore compelled to use this medium to try and put a stop to what appears to be a calculated attempt to manipulate the media.

"I beg all of you present, you noble soldiers of the truth, to stop this incorrect reporting of the circumstances of my husband's death. Do this for us to honour the name and integrity of my dear husband Alaba; to protect the dignity of our beloved children; and to ensure that those responsible do not manipulate the media so as to go unpunished.

"My husband, Charles Alaba Joseph, did not kill himself. My husband was a decent man, a caring and responsible father, a sensitive but tough, determined, ambitious, surefooted, generous, kind, thoughtful, protective and decent man.

"He would never bring the shame of a callous and cowardly suicide upon his family. My husband loved his children deeply. He was devoted to them. He cared deeply about their welfare and would do anything to protect them. He certainly would never do anything to ridicule us or bring our names and character into question or dispute.

"Though I am tempted to speak of my findings in the course of yesterday, I shall restrain myself and leave the autopsy report to disclose the facts. I nevertheless feel compelled to say the following.

"My husband left home at about 8.45 a.m. yesterday (Thursday), after having breakfast. He was in good spirits and expected to be back home with his family later in the day. In the course of the morning, my husband and I exchanged text messages of a personal nature.

"He was clear-headed and in charge of his home. Other than the troubles with Mobitel, which he informed me was being taken over by a receiver/manger in the same morning, my husband had no particular concerns. He was not one to overly worry. He simply worked to find solutions to problems.

"The idea that he killed himself over Mobitel's debt is ludicrous. He was working hard to reschedule the company's debt and had reached an advanced stage of negotiations with the bank. The fact that the bank chose to appoint a receiver/manager did not surprise him much. What he had not anticipated and could not have anticipated was the speed and ferocity with which Kemi Pinheiro, the receiver/manger sought to take physical control of a company that he did not build.

"Finally, my personal and painful inspection of my husband at the mortuary at the Ikeja General Hospital told a million stories. It revealed the fatal assault that terminated this beautiful life. But I shall let the autopsy report reveal the facts.

"Needless to say that my cursory investigations left me with a clear picture of how my beloved husband met his death, and I can tell you that he neither had the will nor the capability to inflict the fatal wound that almost certainly cost him his life.

"You may wish to consider the following facts that surrounded the death of my husband- At about 10 in the morning, Kemi Pinheiro, the aforementioned receiver/manager arrived the premises of the company, accompanied by over a dozen heavily-armed policemen and several other plain clothed security personnel.

"These heavily-armed men immediately seized control of the entire ICON House building, sealing gates and cordoning sections.

"Once on the first floor offices of Mobitel, the men apparently forced the entire personnel of the company into the conference room, holding them hostage, while they proceeded to do what we might never know to my husband, who was singled out and left undefended.

Also reacting yesterday, the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), of which Joseph was president, called for a judiciary inquiry.

The association urged "everybody involved to hold their opinions until the investigations are complete. We are certain that you will all be interested to learn how a hole resembling a bullet wound showed up on his head, and why Kemi Pinheiro and the police fled the scene and left a wounded man to die in a pool of his own blood.

"We, the National Executive Committee of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria plead with all our media and pressmen to exercise caution and circumstance on this issue and to await the outcome of the police and medical examinations, which we believe will disprove the allegation that Charles Alaba Joseph took his life.

It also urged the government, particularly President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo to use their good offices to bring about a swift investigation of the circumstances of the death.