Six-year-old
Kelvin Emmanuel has revealed how a woman in their compound, Rosemary Chinagoro
Chukwu, believed to be a good Christian because she was always praying and goes
to church every day, grabbed and slammed his head on a toilet sink in order to
knock him out and abduct him.
Eye
witnesses claimed that Chukwu, known as a prayer warrior in the community at Majidun,
Ikorodu Lagos State, smuggled the boy into a large bag and attempt to leave the
compound moments after praying and shouting, “Die by fire! Die by fire!”
She
was further alleged to have grabbed hold of the little boy when he went to
fetch water for his bathing on the morning of June 25, 2014.
The
case was on Tuesday brought before an Ikeja High Court, Lagos.
Emmanuel
told the court that Chukwu dragged him inside her apartment when he came to
fetch water from the well.
He
further stated that Chukwu’s children were present when their hit his head on a
toilet sink and thereafter tied him up.
His
words: “When she took me inside her house, she slammed my head on the toilet
sink. I became a little unconscious. She then tied my mouth, hands and neck and
put me inside a large bag. I don’t remember what happened after because I woke
up at the hospital.”
The
boy’s father, Mrs Gloria Chukwuemeka Kelvin, 28, narrated how Chukwu allegedly
kidnapped her son for ritual purposes.
Gloria
said that Chukwu kidnapped her son and wanted to use him for a ritual for a
monetary return of N4m.
While
being led in evidence by the Prosecuting Counsel, C.K Tunji-Carrena, Gloria
said that Chukwu, during her confession, claimed that a pastor, identified as Ernest
asked her to bring him a human being for ritual.
Gloria
recalled: “On the morning of June 25, 2014, I woke up at about 6:30am
to take care of my twin baby who had been sick the previous night. I have a
twin; a boy and a girl. I was grinding pepper inside the compound with a hand
blender when I beckoned on my son to come and take a bath. He refused,
insisting that the water was too cold as a result of the rain.
“There
is a reservoir behind the house and he suggested on getting fresh water from
the well. So I told him to drop the bucket there so that I could help him get
the water once I was done grinding the pepper. I was shocked when he didn’t
return after about six minutes. The well was stationed
at the next flat close to mine. Immediately, I began calling his name but there
was no response.”
When
Gloria received no response, she became frantic. Her motherly instincts told
her that something was wrong. She got up and ran straight to the well. When she
reached the well, she saw only the bucket Emmanuel went with to fetch water.
She
recounted: “I ran outside my street and started yelling and screaming his name.
Other neighbours, who heard my voice, quickly gathered, asking what happened. I
also asked a woman selling at a kiosk if she saw my son; she replied that no
child had passed that road. Out of frustration, I ran back to the house to
knock at my landlady’s door. She opened and replied that my son wasn’t there.
At that point, I began screaming his name as loudly as I could. Everyone
scattered and a search party was organised. Our landlady’s brother jumped into
the well to see if he could find him but he wasn’t there.
“I
then went to Rosemary’s apartment and at this point, she was conducting prayers
with her children, shouting “die by fire.” I initially didn’t want to disturb
them, but the landlady insisted I should knock and ask. When I knocked, her two
children opened and stood by the door. When I asked them if they had seen my
son, they replied that they had not seen Emmanuel. After her prayer, Rosemary
came out and told us that she saw a man, wearing a white garment like a member
of Cele, carrying a black bag. She said that the man went into the school
premises opposite the compound. With that information, everyone, including the
men, dashed out into the school to catch the alleged person. But the landlady
held me back, insisting that we shouldn’t all leave the compound.
“The
landlady then suggested that we could do a house to house search if those that
went to the school didn’t find Emmanuel. Immediately Rosemary heard about the house
to house search, she quickly ran inside and came out, dragging a large bag. At
that point, it was just four women and I that were left behind in the compound.
When the landlady saw her dragging the large, she asked her if she was about to
travel at a time when a neighbour’s child had gone missing. She quickly
replied, while hastening he steps that her flight had already been booked and
that she needed to hurry in order to catch up. The landlady now snobbishly
said, ‘a woman who owes house rent and electricity bills, how can she afford a
flight ticket?’”
The
seemingly harmless question caught the attention of the other women. When the
landlady further suggested that they should check out what Rosemary was
carrying in the large bag, everyone agreed. The women immediately hurried after
Rosemary. They called out to her and asked her to wait. Rather than wait,
Rosemary placed the bag on her head and started running.
Gloria
said: “As we ran after her, we began screaming ‘olee olee’ and neighbours outside the compound chased after her.
She couldn’t run very fast because the road was muddy. She was held by two
youths standing on the street. Before we got to her, she threw the bag at
another man’s gate and thereafter attacked the youths. She told the boys that
her ghost was inside the bag. When we finally got there and opened the bag, it
was my boy that was inside it. She tied his hands and neck with her scarf. I
cried deeply and began struggling to untie him. He wasn’t breathing at that
moment; he appeared to be lifeless.
“Other
community members came with water to pour on him. Others came with concoctions
on him to wake him up and he eventually did. I later left Rosemary at the mercy
of the community members while I carried my son to the hospital. When she was
interrogated, she confessed that one pastor Ernest told her to kidnap the boy
for a ritual at a fee of N4m. She was later taken to Ipakodo Police post.”
Justice
Josephine Oyesfeso thereafter adjourned the matter till June 29
for continuation of trial.
New Telegraph
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