A few words capture the depravity of the human heart more profoundly than those found in the scriptures: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). These words are neither hyperbole nor poetic exaggeration; they are a chilling diagnosis of the human condition.
The tragic death in a deep freezer of three innocent children in Nnewichi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, speaks to the fact that evil is not an abstract concept but manifests in horrific acts of cruelty, defying reason and morality. The alleged killing of these siblings – aged nine, seven, and five – by yet-to-be-identified assailants, who stuffed their lifeless bodies into a disused freezer, is not merely a crime. It is an indictment of a society where wickedness festers in the shadows. It is an act so grotesque that it shakes the very foundations of human decency. How does one begin to comprehend the depravity required to extinguish such young, innocent tendrils? What force drives human beings to such an unfathomable depths of wickedness?
Perhaps, the answer can be found in the scriptural witnesses about man’s heart as a breeding ground for evil. From time immemorial, sacred texts have warned of the darkness that resides within the human heart. The Gospel of Matthew declares: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34). In Quran, we are equally reminded in Surah Al-Isra (17:11) that “man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good…,” and that “the soul is persistently inclined toward evil…” (Surah Yusuf, 12:53).
The heart, as Scriptures reveal, is not naturally inclined toward goodness but toward selfishness, greed, malice, and unimaginable cruelty. This is more than a pessimistic outlook. It is a brutal acknowledgment of reality. History bears witness to genocides, massacres, infanticides, and individual acts of heinous brutality that defy comprehension. Yet, the gruesome deaths of these three children in Nnewi is hardly an isolated event. It is symptomatic of a deeper moral and spiritual decay. It is proof that the evil lurking in the hearts of human beings is ever seeking an opportunity to manifest. The situation is even made worse by a society’s numbness to wickedness.
One of the most disturbing aspects of such tragedies is the growing desensitization of society to them. When news of atrocities breaks, outrage erupts momentarily, but soon after, life continues as though nothing happened. This cycle of horror, outrage, forgetfulness, and apathy has become all too familiar. There was a time when such an event would send shockwaves through the entire nation, prompting widespread mourning and reflection. But today, the collective conscience appears dulled. News reports of brutal murders are consumed in the same manner as entertainment – briefly acknowledged, then discarded.
Social media timelines overflow with transient outrage, only for the same platforms to quickly move on to the next trending topic. What does it say about a society when the murder of innocent children fails to provoke sustained introspection? What does it say about a people when such evil is met with resignation rather than resolute action? It says much about a society besieged by evil.
The Nnewi tragedy is not just about the actions of an individual or group of assailants; it is about the broader spiritual and moral decline afflicting the Nigerian society. Evil has metastasized in various forms – corruption, ritual killings, kidnappings, human trafficking, and systemic injustice. The same wickedness that led to the seeming cold-blooded murder of these children is the same wickedness that enables those, who Providence has appointed to redistribute our commonwealth equitably but instead has chosen to siphon funds meant for healthcare services, dooming countless children to death by preventable diseases. It is the same wickedness that predisposes bad eggs in different professions to engage in unethical practices.
Yes. It is on the strength of devilry that ‘death row robbers’ are allegedly unleashed on the helpless society to continue their reign of terror by corrupt officials of custodial facility. It is the same wickedness that provides the evil inspiration for a 20-year old terror kingpin (a. k. a ‘No peace for the government’) and his gang to abduct a law maker and shoot him dead two days later after allegedly withdrawing N100 million from his account. The wickedness of man knows no bounds, and it has taken root in every facet of society.
The all-pervasiveness of man’s wickedness triggers the silent screams and unbearable psychological trauma of victims of devilment. “I can only imagine the agony the children must have endured at the hands of their killers. I still hear them shouting, ‘Daddy… mummy…,’ but no one came to help. When I look at their pictures, I apologize to them, and I can only imagine how they must have cried for help and struggled to breathe, with no one to come to their aid. It is heart-wrenching,” Mr. Udochukwu, father of the deceased siblings lamented amidst heart-rending sobs.
These words are not just the lamentations of a grieving father; they are the echoes of human suffering so profound that language itself struggles to capture its weight. What can be said about a pain that is beyond articulation? How does one even begin to fathom the anguish of watching one’s entire world collapse in the most gruesome manner imaginable? The psychological trauma inflicted by such wickedness is neither momentary nor easily surmountable. It is a deep gaping wound that festers in the heart and mind, reshaping the lives of victims and their families in ways that defy healing.
Come to think of the unimaginable terror these children must have faced in their final moments. The mind shudders to think of it. Just imagine – three young siblings, alone in their home, suddenly confronted by the faceless horror of their assailants; the fear that must have gripped them; the frantic, desperate screams of “Daddy! Mummy!” as their tiny voices pleaded for rescue. But no one came. The walls of their home, which should have been their sanctuary, became their prison. The very air they breathed turned into a suffocating force against them.
Just imagine; the panic; the realization that their cries were unheard; their futile, meek and mild struggles; the desperate flailing of limbs as their fragile bodies were forced into the choking embrace of a freezer; the foreboding darkness; the eerie silence; the fading consciousness! No human being – least of all children – should ever endure such torment. The psychological trauma of these final moments is something we cannot fully grasp, but we must acknowledge.
If the pain of the deceased children was unimaginable, the suffering of their surviving loved ones is no less haunting. The father, Ejezie Udochukwu, now lives with a torment that will follow him to the grave. He sees their faces in his mind. He hears their cries in his sleep. He pictures them calling out for him – calling out for their mother – but no one came. The helplessness, the guilt, and the horror of knowing that his children died in unspeakable agony while he was powerless to stop it; the psychological toll of such an event cannot be overstated.
Parents who lose children to violence suffer a unique form of grief – one that is accompanied by intense self-blame, crippling guilt, and an unending loop of ‘what ifs’. “What if I had been home earlier? What if I had put in place security measures? What if I had prayed harder? What if I had known this was going to happen?” These thoughts are not rational, yet they are inescapable. The mind, desperate for control, tries to rationalize the irrational and make sense of the senseless. But there is no sense to be made. There is only one thing – pain.
Beyond the immediate family, the trauma, like kerosene spreads far and wide. Friends, extended family members, neighbours, and even entire communities are left grappling with an overwhelming sense of helplessness. Survivor’s guilt sets in – why them and not us? Could we have done something differently? The sight of an empty seat at the dinner table, the nostalgic sound of laughter that will never return, the haunting reminders in the form of clothes left behind, toys untouched, school books never to be opened again – all these become permanent scars on the psyche. In cases like this, where the victims are innocent children, the psychological trauma deepens because of the sheer injustice of it all. The world feels permanently altered.
The belief in the inherent goodness of humanity is shattered. For children who survive or witness such horrific events, the trauma is lifelong. A sibling (the seminarian, Mr. Udochukwu’s only surviving child), a friend, or a neighbour who once played with the deceased children now carries the haunting memory of their absence. Some children may develop severe anxiety and nightmares, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or a deep-seated fear of the world.
Many of these children grow into adults haunted by a past they cannot escape. Some withdraw completely from society, unable to form trusting relationships. Others struggle with depression, anger, or substance abuse as they try to numb the pain. When atrocities like this occur, they do not only affect individuals; they leave scars on the collective consciousness of society. Communities that experience repeated acts of violence develop what psychologists call chronic trauma – a state where people become accustomed to tragedy but never truly heal from it. This is the reality in many parts of Nigeria today. When killings, kidnappings, and ritual murders become routine news, society enters a state of emotional numbness. People carry on with life, but beneath the surface, there is deep, unresolved pain, no thanks to man’s wickedness.
Despite the bleakness of human wickedness, there is hope. The same Bible that exposes the evil of the human heart also offers redemption: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) The transformation of the human heart is the only true antidote to wickedness. Laws, policies, and security measures are necessary, but there is a limit to what they can do.
What is required is a moral and spiritual reawakening – a return to the principles of truth, justice, and love. As a nation, we must cry out against wickedness – not only when it shocks us but before it takes root in our communities and gets fossilized in our collective psyche. We must cultivate a culture where righteousness, kindness, and the sanctity of life are upheld.
In conclusion, the tragic end of the Udochukwu siblings of Nnewichi is a harrowing testament to the unfathomable depth of man’s wickedness. It should not merely be another news story lost in the archives of crime reports. It should serve as a mirror, forcing us to confront the darkness within our society and in our inner recesses. But even in the face of such evil, we are not without hope. There is still time to change course.
There is still time to rise above the depravity that seeks to define us. Surely, perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to justice. But more importantly, a deeper moral reckoning must follow. Only then can we begin to reclaim the lost humanity that man’s infernal wickedness seeks to erase. May the gentle souls of the Udochukwu siblings find eternal rest in the Lord’s bosom, Amen!
• Prof Agbedo writes from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.