The Edo Youth Alliance (EYA) has issued a strong warning to Edo people in the diaspora, urging them to disregard claims made by one Sandra Palmer Agho in a recent podcast where she allegedly misrepresented herself as “Sandra Palmer Martins.”
In a statement signed by its President, Osagie Imafidon, the group accused Agho of peddling falsehoods and manipulating facts regarding her relationship with Kelvin Uyi Martins. According to the EYA, several inconsistencies in her allegations raise serious questions about her credibility.
The group noted that Agho has repeatedly claimed to be married to Kelvin Uyi Martins and at times claimed to have lived with him at Roland Obanor Street, Benin City. However, in a police statement she made in July 2022, she reportedly contradicted herself by affirming that the marriage “never held” and that she had moved out of Martins’ residence.
EYA also alleged irregularities surrounding various Interpol reports linked to her case, stating that while the initial report originated from Danish authorities and was translated into English, Agho later petitioned the Nigerian Interpol in Lagos, accusing them of compromise. The group further claims that after seeing the initial report online, Agho travelled to Abuja and allegedly influenced the retrieval of the case file from the State Intelligence Department in Benin without proper interrogation of the parties involved.
The statement also revealed that during her arrest, the address she provided was “5, 2nd Unfuwegbe Lane, Off Usama Street, Off Erhuwunse Street, Off Ekenwan Road, Benin City,” which contradicted her earlier claims of residence. EYA accused her of failing to provide receipts or evidence for properties she claimed were missing and alleged that she is leveraging her relationship with the Obaseki family for political protection.
The group further stated that forensic examination of her communications with a police officer, SP Franklin Anionke, and former Director of Public Prosecutions, Orobosa Okunbo, would expose a “grand conspiracy.” They also alleged that Agho edits and circulates private call recordings to suit her personal agenda.
EYA maintained that Agho and Kelvin Uyi Martins were never married, although they share a child. According to the group, Agho signed an affidavit granting the child’s father consent to take their son, Johannes Martins, abroad. It also alleged that the affidavit of marriage was fraudulently signed by one Goddy Orhorho, who is reportedly wanted for perjury.
Addressing criticism directed at the Edo State Attorney General, Dr. Samson Raphael Osagie, the EYA clarified that his decision to issue a nolle prosequi in the matter was strictly constitutional, citing Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution. The group praised Dr. Osagie as a distinguished legal professional with a long record of public service and insisted that attempts to politicize the issue were unfounded.
The organisation also defended the lawyer representing Kelvin Uyi Martins, describing him as a respected Benin-born legal practitioner deeply rooted in the community. EYA dismissed attempts to inject ethnic sentiment into the matter, calling it “the action of a drowning woman.”
According to the EYA, Sandra Palmer Agho withdrew a recent case she filed after discovering that Martins had secured one of the country’s most prominent lawyers—also a Benin indigene—who took up the defence pro bono after reviewing the alleged inconsistencies in her claims.
The statement further alleged that Agho assaulted Martins’ lawyer at a police station and later attempted to evade prosecution by petitioning the AIG with “fabricated claims.” EYA questioned the credibility of allegations that a senior lawyer of such standing would steal a stabilizer, insisting that the item was never part of the original police report and was not properly investigated.
EYA concluded by appealing to Edo people both at home and in the diaspora to dismiss Agho’s claims as “false, misleading, and politically motivated.”
