David Favour, husband of the late Shimite Winifred Love, special adviser to Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, has denied allegations linking him to her death.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Favour described his late wife as his “best friend” of over 20 years and said their marriage was legal and duly witnessed by her immediate younger brother.

He alleged that a stepbrother of his wife attempted to dictate her marital choices, which created divisions within the family.

Favour said Shimite had been under emotional and psychological strain from work pressures and had planned to undergo medical checks after completing her last project but died before she could do so.

He presented an autopsy report which attributed her death to acute left ventricular failure and hypertensive heart disease, with aspiration pneumonitis listed as a contributing factor. The report was signed on May 22, 2025, by consultant anatomic pathologist Michael Emeka Chiemeka.

Toxicology tests also showed high levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin 18, markers associated with sepsis and kidney injury.

Favour commended officers of the Delta State Police Command for their professionalism but accused the inspector-general of police’s monitoring unit of compromise and overstepping its jurisdiction by releasing his wife’s corpse without his consent. He called on the IGP to order the release of her phone and sanction the unit.

He also alleged that some neighbours, in collaboration with his wife’s foster child, had denied him access to their home and belongings.

Favour vowed to sue bloggers and media outlets that linked him to domestic violence, insisting that the autopsy and toxicology results cleared him of any wrongdoing.

“I didn’t kill my wife. The justice system of Nigeria should not be compromised. Government entities, families, and law enforcement must respect the laws of marriage acts,” he said.

He further accused his wife’s extended family, with support from personalities in the Delta State Government, of abducting his four-year-old daughter and conducting the burial without his consent.

“My wife was illegally buried. They didn’t just bury her illegally, they buried her with the name of her ex-husband,” he alleged.