By Adetutu Audu
A PalmPay agent, Justin Azubuike Ewofobe, popularly known as “Biggie”, has died after sustaining a serious head injury during an alleged confrontation over a phone-financing transaction in Abraka, Delta State, with his family and associates calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, 10 September, 2026, when Ewofobe was reportedly confronted by a customer and his guarantor while he was on the road with his wife and 10-year-old daughter over a phone that had been remotely restricted following alleged payment defaults.
According to accounts from his relatives and associates, Ewofobe was a graduate of Delta State University, Abraka, and a PalmPay agent covering Obiaruku, Abraka and Warri. He was married and had a 10-year-old daughter.
The deceased was maternally from Obiaruku in Ukwuani Local Government Area and paternally from Aragba-Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The dispute reportedly began after one Moses Okitikpi of Abraka obtained a phone valued at ₦185,000 through a phone-financing arrangement facilitated by Ewofobe.
Under the arrangement, Okitikpi allegedly paid an initial deposit of ₦30,000 and agreed to pay ₦11,000 weekly until the balance was cleared.
The relatives and associates said Okitikpi subsequently defaulted on the agreed weekly payments for several weeks, resulting in the phone being remotely restricted in line with the financing arrangement.
They alleged that even after making some part-payments, Okitikpi continued to demand that the phone be unlocked immediately.
His guarantor, identified as Onome Okitikpi, said to be his nephew and a point-of-sale operator around NUT Junction in Abraka, was also reportedly involved in the dispute.
On the night of September 10, the two men allegedly confronted Ewofobe and demanded that he unlock the restricted phone.
According to the account, Ewofobe explained that the unlocking process was procedural and could take up to three days, rather than being done immediately.
The confrontation allegedly escalated, during which his phone and other personal belongings were reportedly taken.
It was further alleged that when Ewofobe attempted to retrieve his phone, he was pushed, causing him to fall and hit his head on the tarred road.
He reportedly sustained a serious head injury and subsequently developed internal complications.
His relatives said he remained in a coma for three days, while doctors recommended emergency surgery estimated at about ₦10 million.
Ewofobe, however, died on September 13, three days after the alleged incident.
The matter was reportedly lodged at the Abraka Police Station on September 11, a day after the alleged confrontation.
The family and associates have since raised concerns over the progress of the case, particularly the absence of any reported arrest, and appealed to the police authorities to establish what happened and determine whether anyone bears criminal responsibility for the death.
In a statement attributed to Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector-General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, were urged to intervene and ensure a thorough and impartial investigation.
The family wants the circumstances surrounding the confrontation to be fully investigated and anyone found culpable to face the law.
The allegations concerning the confrontation and the persons named in connection with it have not been established in court.
The family and associates described Ewofobe as an industrious and resourceful young man whose death had left his wife, daughter and other relatives devastated.
They said the incident began over a commercial dispute that they believed could have been resolved without violence and urged the police to ensure that the matter was not abandoned.
The case has also been reported by other outlets, which similarly attributed the account of the confrontation to the deceased’s relatives and associates and reported that no arrest had been made at the time of publication.
The family is therefore calling for justice and a full investigation into the death of the PalmPay agent.
