If the dead could talk or even be given a second chance to come back to life, youthful Charity Ngozi Ezeh would not contemplate taking the decision to return home to take her preparatory lessons for JAMB and the nursing school.
Ngozi aged 20 was the first daughter and second child of seven children of Jonathan and Ginika Ezeh of Imufu community, Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North LGA, Enugu State.
She was brought up in Abuja where her parents eked out a living. Despite being low income earners, the parents struggled to see her through both private and public schools in Abuja until she wrote her WAEC and NECO exams including JAMB two years ago. Though she could not gain admission into the higher school in the same year owing to her not having a credit in Chemistry, she did not relent, but took another WAEC and was successful.
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Unrelenting in her desire to train as a nurse, the family decided to bring her nearer home and that was how she relocated to her hometown to retake JAMB and also write admission exams for a nearby nursing school in Nsukka.
But the family decision, despite being the wisest for them at the time of the implementation, has turned out to be their greatest miscalculation and loss.
Ngozi’s aspiration to become a nurse has not only turned out a pipe dream, but her life was brutally cut short on March 27, this year by yet-to-be identified herdsmen who not only raped her callously, but also strangled her to death in a bush path behind the community secondary school, Imufu community, Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
For the family, it is a very bleak Easter celebration while darkness seemed to have enveloped their entire household. To say the least, the sunshine in their family has been taken away in a most callous manner, a situation that will only take divine intervention to forestall further calamity in the family because the parents have remained inconsolable since then. Worst hit, is the mother who has been oscillating between going nuts and retaining sanity since the incident happened.
The fatal event
Amidst sobs and sighs, Ngozi’s father, Jonathan, recalled the event of the day before he heard the shattering news of his daughter’s death.
Having relocated to the village from Abuja last year leaving the wife and the other children in the Federal Capital Territory, Ngozi and the second to the last born joined him in the village this January.
As if he had a premonition that danger was lurking around the corner for her daughter, he has been so protective of her that he made it a point of duty to drop her daily on his motorcycle in the lesson centre at Ogrute and also comes back to take her home after the day’s activity.
“I take her to the lesson centre everyday, but I couldn’t find her when I went back to pick her back around 6:20p.m that day. I was confused because I know that she doesn’t know much people around having come back newly from Abuja. I was restless when I got home and I raised the alarm immediately. Some people told me to relax that she may have decided to chill out with some boys, but I didn’t take that because I know her as a very reserved and pious daughter of mine.
“It was the next day that we heard people gathering somewhere talking about a young girl that was raped and murdered. They called me to come to the scene probably to identify her and lo and behold, when I got there, it was my beloved daughter, lying stone cold, legs parted, her skirt and under wear removed.
“This was a girl that has lived all her life in Abuja until now that she decided to be closer home in order to fulfill her life dream of becoming a nurse. They have taken away my soul and I can only cry unto God to handle this situation for me and my family. I want justice. I want to see those who killed my precious daughter so I can say thank you to him/them,” he said bursting into tears.
The police who arrived the scene said a close observation of her body showed lacerations around her neck and ankles, suggesting she must have been strangled by the rapists. Her books and writing materials, handkerchief and shreds of her clothing were scattered around the scene.
Family Reacts
The mother, identified as Juliet Eze, while narrating her ugly experiences shortly after the internment of her daughter on Friday said she was pained when she saw some of the suspects walking scot-free and still challenging the family even before her daughter was buried.
“I was selling ‘okpa’ at Abuja before this incident happened last year. Since then I have been in the village. Feeding is even a problem for my family now because my husband is equally poor. We have been working hard to feed our children and give them the best possible education we can afford and I had hoped on Ngozi because she worked hard and had told me she wanted to study nursing at the university. I have not been sleeping since my daughter’s life was snuffed out in her prime.”
“Sometimes, I will wake up by 1 am, sit up and cry in the middle of the night.” Comrade Emeka Mamah, who also spoke on behalf of the family said police had named a suspect who the victim turned down his marriage proposals.”
“We cooperated with the police in providing information and other assistance but as we are talking, no policeman visited the scene of that incident. It is a year and five months now and justice has not been served. Police were only interested in money.”
“Why she has not been buried since then was because they demanded money for Coronavirus Inquest Form which is normally issued free of charge. “We used our neighbourhood watch personnel to arrest some of the suspects at Onitsha, Anambra State. We still paid the police and hired a bus for them to go and bring them. They didn’t do any serious work.”
The Traditional Ruler of Imufu Community, Igwe Remigius Attah, while commenting on the incident expressed sadness on the gruesome killing of the young girl.
He said that the entire community, including those at home and abroad, have decided to get to the root of the matter to ensure that the culprits are apprehended and justice served too.
“I cannot remember the last time I shed tears, but I cried like a baby that day after seeing what happened to that young girl. It is a heinous crime against humanity.”
“Though the assailants took away the young girls phone after accomplishing their devilish task, we have succeeded in tracking the phone records of the girl.”
The Catholic Church in the community has also taken a spiritual angle to the matter. The Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Parish, Imufu, Rev. Fr Rufus Achinike rallied the entire parishioners to embark on seven days rosary procession for the soul of the departed and for God to expose the culprits.
The President General, Imufu Town Union, Lawrence Mamah described the situation as pathetic. He described the deceased as a young girl with energy and focus and revealed that the 14 branches of Imufu Town Union across the federation have agreed to support the security agencies to unravel the circumstances surrounding the girl’s murder.
Mamah who recently retired from the Nigerian Police said that was the first time such incident has happened in the community hence the resolve to tackle the situation without hesitation to ensure that it doesn’t repeat.
How the Police sabotaged the Investigations
Three alleged herdsmen were arrested in connection with Ngozi’s rape and eventual murder by the neighbourhood watch personnel. However, when they were released by the police despite having paid the police and hiring a bus with which they were transferred to the police headquarters. One of the suspects even went back to the victim’s mother’s home to lay threats that nothing can ever be done to them.
Her burial was also delayed because the police demanded money for Coronavirus Inquest Form which is normally issued free of charge.
It was the new state Commissioner of police who gave an order before they got the inquest form. But the family still contributed about ₦300,000 to pay for an autopsy because left for the police, the body would have kept on being delayed despite the numerous unreplied petitions.
Cry For Help
This adds to the numerous case of herdsmen killings in Nigeria. The Nigerian Police should look into this case of murder, sexual assault and inter-tribal manslaughter and proper investigations should be carried out. The community is still in shock since the victim was just recently buried. The assailants are still walking free out there and there is a high probability that they might have to strike one more time.
THE EASTERN UPDATES