…Monarch cries out for help
By Brown Chimezie
TRAGEDY struck in Igbo-Ukwu community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, recently when a boy, Ejike Nwankwo allegedly attacked his mother, dragged her into a well and rained blocks on her. The woman died before help could come.
The ugly incident has thrown the entire community into confusion as the suspect, the first child of the family had in September last year killed his two siblings, set their family house ablaze and dumped their corpses inside the same well.
In a telephone conversation with Daily Sun, a day before she was murdered, Mrs. Christiana Nwankwo had explained that her son Ejike had made life miserable for her: “This boy killed two of my children and set our family house ablaze and then disapmy children and set our family peared into the thing air. While we were trying to recover from that problem, he suddenly appeared again early this month and threatened to kill me and I ran to the palace of my traditional ruler for safety. By the time I returned home, he had already dumped two bags of my palm nut into the well, and used palm frond to cordon off the entrance to my home. I am appealing to the law enforcement agents to come to my aid,” she lamented.
The paramount ruler of the community, Igwe Martin Eze, lamented that before the demented boy could be arrested, he had already wreaked havoc, by killing his mother.
Daily Sun gathered that Mrs Christiana who had been taking refuge in neighbour’s home decided to go home around 8am in company with another of her son but unknown to her, Ejike had laid ambush for them and immediately she stepped into the compound, he pounced on them, overpowered and dragged her towards the well.
It was further gathered that the other son managed to escape by scaling the perimeter fence after which he raised the alarm. But before help could come, Ejike had already rained blocks on her mother in the well until she died.
Although, the matter had been reported to the police and the body of the deceased taken to the morgue, Igwe Eze blamed the sad incident on the absence of rehabilitation centres for mentally sick persons. He said in developed country, the likes of Ejike would have been taken out of the street and rehabilitated before he committed the dastardly act. He called on the Federal government to build more facilities for the mentally challenged so as to reduce the cases of murder, suicide and homicides which are prevalent.