Oluwashola Gaska (nee Adefolalu) moved to Poland in 2000 to study Architecture and Interior Design.
She settled in Poland afterwards, met Jakub Gaska and got married to him in 2010. Shola ran a small photography business in Poland alongside her day job of teaching English Language as a foreign language.
On 28 December, 2016, Jakub informed Shola's family of her passing away. According to Jakub's account, Shola died in the hospital due to anaemia and low heamoglobin level. Shola's elder sister recalled speaking to Shola on December 24, and chatting with her on Facebook on December 26 and 27, on both occasions, Shola didn't sound sick or complain of any illness at all.
To further worsen their pain, Gaska called Shola's family to inform them of his plans to cremate her corpse like they both agreed. The family promptly asked Gaska to suspend all plans to cremate or bury her till her family members arrived Poland in early January. Several representatives from the Nigerian community in Poland were sent to Gaska but he refused everyone access to the corpse. According to Gaska, Shola wished for only her elder sister, Mrs. Abimbola Essien-Nelson to see her corpse when she died and not the whole family.
The family in a bid to stop Gaska from cremating their daughter's corpse quickly purchased tickets for their family members in Ireland to fly to Poland to meet up Gaska before he proceeded with his plans. Gaska sent the corpse for cremation on January 2, 2017, a day before the people from Ireland arrived. Gaska also interred the ashes on his birthday, January 7, 2017 with none of Shola's family members in attendance.
The family continued to pressure Gaska into sending a picture of the corpse to them which he reluctantly did. According to the family of the deceased, the picture after careful examination revealed attempts to conceal Shola's swollen lips and other signs of trauma and abuse. Gaska also hurriedly pulled down Shola's social media accounts and business website.
It was learnt that friends of Shola have also initiated an online ‘Justice for Sholly’ petition on change.org. It was addressed to the Mayor of Krakow and the Polish Ambassador in Nigeria.
In her cry for justice, Essien-Nelson has also petitioned the Nigerian government and the Polish authorities to step into the matter. She stated the position of the family at a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday.
When contacted, an official of the Nigerian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, identified only as Mr. Ogunsanya, said the embassy received report on the incident which allegedly occurred at Gaska’s family home at ul. Owiecimska 33, 32 –551, Wygielzow, GMINA Babice District, Chrzanow County, Lesser Poland, a suburb of Krakow.
A Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Mr. Jiti Ogunye stated that the Shola's family had a right to lodge a criminal complaint in Poland having suspected a criminal intent regarding her demise.
Ogunye said, “If the lady was taken to the hospital as the husband claimed, there should be a coroner’s inquest into what led to her death before her remains were cremated. The doctors who attended to her, what was responsible for her death and other things will be revealed. This will thus determine the husband’s prosecution if found culpable. The remedy lies in Poland. They need to file a criminal complaint that they suspect that her death was due to criminal neglect.’’
The emails sent to the Poland Police Headquarters and the Mayor of Krakow on the matter had yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report.
Also, Gaska neither replied the email sent to him nor the text message to his mobile.
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