Pastor’s driver mauls four siblings to death with pestle

A tragic incident has befallen Eche Ezema village in Igbo Eze South local government area of Enugu state over the killing of four innocent children of the same parents of the community.

The four children, born of the same parents, were mauled to death by a driver of a popular pastor of the Sabbath Presbyterian church in the community over an alleged altercation, per Vanguard report.

According to the report, the four children whose father is a palm kernel merchant, simply identified as Chinonso (aka Okwudike) had gone to procure palm kernel, left the four children behind while their mother was out to Nkwo Ibagwa market on the fateful day of the incident.

The alleged assailant, according to a source quoted by Vanguard, having perfected his mission, carried the four dead bodies to a nearby cassava farm where he dumped, covered them with cassava stems, leaves and fled the community.

According to the source, the Sabbath pastor, Chinedu Ezedike hails from the same Eche Ezema village with the palm kernel merchant. He explained that the pastor has allegedly been into shoddy deals, harassing residents of the village and confiscating people’s lands on flimsy reasons.

“Pastor Chinedu aka Ezedike shares adjoining boundary with the palm kernel merchant Chinoso aka Okwuike from where his allege driver bow the fence wall, entered the compound and hacked the four children to death” he noted.

” The palm kernel merchant on arrival, could not see the children, conducted a quick search only to discover them in a cassava farm, covered with cassava stems and leaves, raised alarm, collapsed and his wife on arrival from the market, collapsed too, Both were rushed to the hospital while their four children were deposited in the morgue”

News of the tragic incident sparked tension across the locality as youths staged solidarity protests demanding immediate intervention of local and state governments to unravel the circumstances of the killings and arrest of the fleeing assailant of the four innocent children of the same parents in Igbo Eze South local government area.

Contacted on the barbaric killing of the four children which sparked protests in the area, Chairman, Igbo Eze South local government area, Chief Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze, also deputy chairman ALGON Enugu state said that the last thing that would happen under his watch was allowing miscreants to commit crime and go scotch free.

“The unfortunate incident was a crime any sane person would not allow the perpetrator to go unpunished as four innocent children not up to years of age were hacked to death, dumped in a lifeless state in their own neighborhood within the local government area.

“My visit to the village scene of the incident showed that the church is more of an herbalist environment in the name of church. We found out that the proximity between the deceased four children and the church was just a whispering voice call. From the account of the parents, they closely suspect one of the occupants of the church. The deceased family worship in the same environment of the church and even consulted the pastor Ezedike with N2,500 to find out if anything happened with his family.

“It might interest you to know that the family of the four children made statement in the past at police station about how one Mathew attempted to attack them with pistol. On two occasions how the same person attempted to attack the family with a pestle and an iron rod before the recent incident of the four children. The man said he only reported the attempted attack incidents to the leadership of the church pastor Ezedike”

Investigations are ongoing into the heinous crime, we as government have gone to the scene of the church because of the evidence of prima facie evidence, not just parents but residents around the vicinity.

“We have sealed the environment as a crime scene area pending investigations. Preliminary arrest was made, the leader of the religious environment was picked up, seeing that the assailant closely suspected had lived with them for over one year and up to the day of the crime. Ever since the incident nobody have found him.

“The leader of the church was still denying knowing the assailant even when we established his room in the in the church environment, the denial convinced us that there are hidden issues based on our findings. The leader of the church, Chinedu Ezedike and admin Oluchi have been arrested and helping the police in their investigations.

“The protests was more or less solidarity protests, assured residents of the local government area that evil would not thrive in the locality no matter how heavy it may be under his watch as chairman of the council

Just recently two newly ordained reverend sisters were abducted and rescued in less than 24 hours of abduction without paying any ransom

“Last two weeks ago we convened security meeting, mandated every traditional ruler and president general to awaken their local vigilante to security of lives and property and not banking on police, civil defense and the military.”