PalmPay Manager D!es After Alleged ∆ssault Over N185,000 Phone Debt

 

PalmPay Manager Dies After Alleged Assault Over N185,000 Phone Debt

A 37-year-old PalmPay agent and branch manager, Justin Azubike Owefu, popularly known as “Biggie”, has died after he was allegedly assaulted during a dispute over a N185,000 phone purchased through an instalment payment scheme in Abraka, Delta State.

Owefu, a graduate of Delta State University, Abraka, reportedly sustained a severe head injury after he was allegedly pushed to the ground during a confrontation on September 10, 2026.

THE WHISTLER gathered that he died three days later, leaving behind his wife and 10-year-old daughter.

According to relatives and associates, the deceased was travelling with his wife and daughter at about 8:30pm when he was allegedly confronted by a man identified as Moses Okitikpi and his guarantor, Onome Okitikpi.

The confrontation was reportedly linked to a phone worth ₦185,000 which Moses had obtained through an instalment payment arrangement facilitated by Owefu.

He was said to have paid an initial N30,000 deposit and was expected to pay N11,000 weekly until the balance was cleared.

 

Sources said the device was configured to be remotely restricted when payments were not made, and that it was eventually locked after the buyer allegedly defaulted for several weeks.

Although the buyer reportedly made some subsequent payments, he allegedly continued demanding that Owefu immediately unlock the phone.

The dispute reportedly escalated when Owefu explained that the unlocking process was not within his immediate control and could take up to three days, particularly as the confrontation occurred during the weekend.

According to accounts presented by the deceased’s family and associates, the men allegedly took Owefu’s phone and other belongings during the confrontation.

Owefu was reportedly attempting to retrieve his property when he was allegedly pushed, causing him to fall and hit his head on the tarred road.

 

He was subsequently rushed for medical treatment and reportedly remained unconscious for three days.

Doctors were said to have recommended emergency surgery estimated at about N10m, but Owefu died on September 13 before the procedure could be carried out.

His death has sparked calls for justice from his family, friends and associates, who are demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The case was reportedly reported at the Abraka Police Station on September 11, while Owefu was still receiving treatment.

However, his family and associates have raised concerns over the alleged delay in apprehending those accused of involvement in the incident.

A community activist, Israel Joe, popularly known as “TableBreaker”, told THE WHISTLER that he took up the matter after the deceased’s family approached him to seek justice.

 

Joe said he subsequently contacted the Delta State Commissioner of Police, alleging that the family had complained of inaction by officers at the Abraka Divisional Headquarters.

According to him, the Commissioner directed the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to investigate the case and apprehend those responsible if found culpable.

“The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, is not playing. He requested the picture and other details of the matter this morning, which I forwarded to him,” Joe said in a statement.

He added that the VCRU team had been detailed to Abraka to investigate the case and “smoke out” those responsible for Owefu’s death.

Joe also appealed to the Abraka police division to ensure that the investigation was conducted professionally, saying community members were prepared to assist the authorities in getting justice for the deceased.

Owefu’s associates described him as an industrious and resourceful businessman who supported his family through his work in the phone-financing business covering Obiaruku, Abraka and Warri.

He was reportedly the only surviving son of his widowed mother and the breadwinner of his immediate family.

His relatives said he was maternally from Obiaruku in Ukwuani Local Government Area and paternally from Aragba-Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

For the family, what began as a dispute over a relatively small outstanding phone payment has now left a young wife without her husband, a 10-year-old girl without her father and a grieving mother without her only surviving son.

They are therefore calling on the Nigeria Police Force and the Delta State Government to ensure that everyone found culpable in the circumstances leading to Owefu’s death is arrested and prosecuted.