The parents of Pearl Okafor, wife of the founder of Grace Nation International Church, Pastor Chris Okafor, have been arrested by the Police in Lagos in connection with the investigation into the suspicious death of businessman, Mr Solomon Iwerebor.
The suspects, Mr Justin Iwerebor and his wife, Anthonia, are parents of Pearl. Justin is the elder brother of the deceased.
Solomon, who lived in Germany with his wife and children, was staying at Justin’s residence during a visit to Nigeria before his death in September 2026.
Their arrest followed a petition dated September 15, 2026, submitted to the Police by the law firm of Dr. Charles Mekwunye, SAN, on behalf of the Iwerebor family.
The family had requested that Justin and his wife, who were among the last persons to have contact with the deceased, be questioned over the circumstances surrounding his death.
In the petition addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the family alleged that since Solomon moved into Justin’s residence more than two years ago, he had lost contact with other members of his family.
According to the petition, when the family could no longer reach Solomon, his daughter, Miss Jade, who lives in Germany, contacted Pearl Okafor to enquire about her father.
Pearl reportedly informed her that Solomon had taken ill, was unable to speak and had been taken to Benin for treatment.
The family, however, said it was shocked to receive news of Solomon’s death from a third party on September 6, 2026, whereas he had died on September 2, 2026.
They expressed concern that despite repeated requests, Justin allegedly failed to provide details of the circumstances surrounding Solomon’s death, including the nature of his illness, where he was treated, the medical facility involved and any available treatment records.
The family also alleged that the deceased was an active member of Pastor Chris Okafor’s Grace Nation International Church and had spent substantial sums of money seeking spiritual intervention and deliverance from the cleric.
It maintained that Pastor Chris and his wife might have relevant information about the circumstances preceding Solomon’s death, particularly his health condition and movements.
Mr Justin and his wife, Anthonia, were arrested on Monday, November 2, 2026, by Police operatives at Panti, Lagos, following the family’s petition and subsequent investigation.
Sources familiar with the investigation disclosed that there had been pressure on the Police to release the suspects. Pastor Chris was also said to have visited the Police formation on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday last week, two sisters of the deceased, Mrs Stella Iwerebor and Mrs Udo Hamis, alongside their lawyer, Dr Charles Mekwunye, SAN, said they were deeply distressed by the circumstances surrounding their brother’s death and the lack of information about events leading to and following his death.
They said Solomon, who lived in Germany with his wife and children, had not been seen by members of the family for over two years after he came to Nigeria on a visit to Mr and Mrs Justin.
According to them, efforts to establish the nature of the illness that allegedly led to his death, the hospital where he was treated and the whereabouts of his corpse proved abortive, as the suspects allegedly refused to provide the information.
“All we want is proper investigation. Our brother has died under very disturbing circumstances and we want to know how he died. It is hard that we have lost one brother and another one and his wife are suspects in the death, but we want answers.
“We want the police to conduct a thorough investigation and not bow to any pressure. We want to know where his corpse is, all that transpired before and after his death, and why we were not informed four days after he died. Our family deserves answers,” they said.
Before the arrest, the law firm had petitioned the Lagos State Police Command, demanding a thorough investigation to unravel the circumstances leading to his death.
The petition also sought information on the whereabouts of the deceased’s corpse, the identity and location of the hospital where he was allegedly treated, as well as relevant medical records.
Following the referral of the matter to the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, and the invitation of the suspects, the Zone 2 Command attempted to take over the investigation, prompting the family to submit another petition to the Inspector-General of Police on October 23, 2026.
In the petition, the family alleged that the suspects had refused to honour police invitations at Panti. They also questioned why Zone 2, which they said did not have a homicide division, would take over a suspected murder case.
The family further urged the IGP to order the transfer of the case back to Panti and direct that the final investigation report be forwarded to the Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation for appropriate legal action.
Having arrested the suspects, the family also appealed to the police to not bow to undue pressure to hastily release them or compromise the investigation.
Other demands by the family include establishment and location of the hospital where the deceased was allegedly taken to in Benin City, Edo State, with relevant medical records; establishment of present whereabouts of the deceased’s remains and ensure the remains are not moved, buried, cremated or disposed in a manner that frustrates investigations.
They also demand for an autopsy or other forensic examinations to be conducted to determine the cause of death subject to applicable law and forensic protocols.
