”He was my only child and they have killed him," Charity Uzoh, 22-year-old mother of a slain baby boy sobbed as tears cascaded down her cheeks.
In presence of those who came to condole with her over the death of her baby boy, she relived the harrowing experience of her pains during labour.
"Anytime I heard there was going to be any revival in any church, I seldom waste time to attend prayer sessions. And whenever a man of God asked me to fast because of my pregnancy, I always ensured I took it very serious and complied. What did they ask me to do that I didn’t? Was it when I used to spit during the nine-month-old conception? They deliberately wanted to get back at me and I knew where the spiritual attack was coming from," she said.
Charity, mother of the slain two-month-and-a-week-old baby, is married to Harrison Uzoh and both hail from Okpe village in Delta State.
Without any premonition of imminent calamity, late on Sunday, December 2, 2007, death struck at the doorsteps of the family of Harrison Uzoh at No. 14, Ayinde Street, Off Boundary, Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos. Shedrack Uzoh was sent to his early grave after taking kerosine.
As is usual at the sprawling and squalid popular jungle city, Ajegunle, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), struck. There was power outage and in spite of the attendant heat often occasion by blackout, residents of the area were forced to stay outside their homes for fresh air before going to bed.
The same situation applied to Charity, mother of the deceased baby when she brought out a mat outside her home for cool breeze. At that time, her husband was away at work in Surulere, Lagos.
According to Charity, when she expected NEPA to restore light for and there was no hope, she went outside and begged a co-tenant, a lady, one Chika, to lend her a mat to spread outside her home. Immediately she took delivery of the mat, she spread it outside and went inside their one-bedroom apartment to spray mosquito insecticide, mosquitoes give them sleepless nights in the area. Opposite their apartment, she alleged, a woman, Mrs. Margaret Okoh, stays in a room with his son, Chibuzor. The husband of the woman, she added, stays in Orlu, Imo State, and visits either two or three times a year to ask after his family’s welfare in Lagos. For the period of two years Charity and her husband, Harrison Uzoh, moved into the building, the family had enjoyed cordial relationship and promoted considerable good neighbourliness with other co-tenants, except a recent misunderstanding with one Nkechi, an elderly woman in her late 50s. Charity disclosed she took ill that very day and in order not to be disturbed she decided to give her baby to a neighbour for care pending when she would be relieved a bit.
"I was not feeling fine at all. The ailment began on Friday when I started having problem with my stomach. I had taken some medication without any improvement until Sunday when I began to feel better," she said.
When she wanted to spray her room with insecticide, she took her son to Mama Chibuzor’s room, as she loved playing with the baby. But when she got to Mama Chibuzor’s room she was already fast asleep and Charity laid her son, Shedrack, beside the woman. Charity told Daily Independent that she was about taking her leave when the woman suddenly woke up from sleep. She told the woman to bring the child to her whenever he started giving her problems. "And before I settled down on the mat, I realised and remembered I had no kerosine in my lamp. I got up and went to Boundary Road with an empty plastic bottle. I bought one litre of kerosene and returned home. I refilled the lamp and went back to lie on the mat. It was also at that stage that I remembered I needed to feed the baby and I went to Mama Chibuzor’s room to pick up Shedrack. I brought him out and breastfed him and also gave him warm water from his flask because he was not used to taking cold water. I ensured he was well-fed before I returned him to Mama Chibuzor. Already, Mama Chibuzor was fast asleep despite the heat. Although I understand she had a make-shift shop at Boundary market where she sells ‘banga’ and other cooking ingredients, she must have been exhausted by day’s hectic work. I went back to keep the bottle containing the kerosine and the child’s feeding bottle in Mama Chibuzor’s room. I put them under the woman’s single-bunk iron bed. When Chibuzor was going to sleep in the room, I told him twice to tell his mother that the content inside the plastic bottle was kerosine and he nodded. But the 10-year-old, who is a pupil of NUD Primary School, Arumo, Boundary Road, Ajegunle, Apapa, forgot to tell his mother and went to sleep on his mat. I thought he would have told his mother, but he did not. If I had known he was such a careless boy, I would not have taken the risk of sleeping off outside without my son. I decided to keep the items there pending when my husband would return from work and we would all get back to our room," explained the heartbroken mother.
Charity said the woman (Mama Chibuzor) did not know the content inside the plastic bottle was kerosine. When the incident occurred she was not aware except when co-tenants woke her from sleep. Neither the woman who gave the baby kerosine to drink nor his son thought it wise to send for her when the baby developed complications after taking the petroleum product. She said it was co-tenants who rushed the boy to Ajeromi Health Centre, Orege, Ajegunle, for treatment, adding that the baby did not spend more than an hour at the hospital before passing on.
She captured the moment thus: "We (Mama Chibuzor and I) rushed the baby to the Health Centre, but he died within an hour. The baby was gasping when I carried him, but I became suspicious when I was told it was the content inside the plastic bottle she gave the boy. I wondered why she did not perceive the odour of the content. But that was not what filled my mind then, my focus was only to ensure my baby was revived. Shedrack breathed his last about 10 p.m. that very day."
Save for the swift response of anti-robbery operatives, who were on routine patrol within the vicinity, Mama Chibuzor would have been lynched. A mob accosted her on their way home with the corpse and had begun to manhandle her before the police team saved her. She was taken to Ajeromi Divisional Police Headquarters, Ajegunle, Apapa, where she was detained and subsequently whisked to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti Street, Yaba, for further questioning over the mysterious death of the two-month-old baby boy.
The question on the lips of neighbours was how did Mama Chibuzor feed Shedrack with kerosine? Did she actually pour the kerosine, which she thought was water, into the baby’s feeding bottle without perceiving the odour of the chemical? Two, did she force-feed the baby the chemical without noticing it was kerosine? Or was Mama Chibuzor daft that she could not know the difference between water and kerosine? These are questions crack homicide detectives are currently working on to unearth the mystery of the baby’s death.
Mrs. Margaret Okoh (Mama Chibuzor) is pleading ignorance, admitting it was a mistake.
Meanwhile, a new twist has been added to the incident. It is believed that the death of the baby was not unconnected to a spiritual attack. It is suspected that Mama Chibuzor was under a spell when she fed the baby with kerosine.
On May 29, 2007, it was alleged that the mother of the deceased quarreled with an elderly woman, who is also a co-tenant in the same building they live. The woman, who is her late 50s, is identified as Nkechi. She lives alone and sells clothing material at Yam market, Boundary, Ajegunle. Neighbours alleged that the woman possesses charms and is feared by all within the area; to the extent she is reputed to be proficient in mystique power. Behind a dressing mirror in her one-room apartment is said to be hidden juju.
Charity disclosed that she and the woman had fought and in return Nkechi swore that she would never deliver safely during her pregnancy. And if she does by the grace of God, Charity would either die after delivery or the child would die at tender age. Because of her spiritual powers, Charity admitted she became jittery including her husband, Harrison, which made them lodge a complaint at Ajeromi Divisional Police Station, Ajegunle, before the threat came to pass. The mother of the deceased baby has therefore threatened to open the old wound by recalling the matter to the police.
Charity predicated her argument on the attitude of Nkechi, who, while neighbours flocked her room to congratulate her over her newborn baby in September, the woman stood her ground and did not utter a word even when they were at close contact either along the common passage of the building they both live in or at the general kitchen.
Besides, neighbours added that the woman was always unhappy when she sees young couples making headway in their endeavours.
Since Sunday, December 2, when the baby died, Harrison, the father, alleged that the woman had taken proactive steps to stave off imminent backlash. He said Nkechi invited her younger sister to be her shield. "Since my baby died, Nkechi often stays late in the market to prevent a face-off," said a source.
"For God’s sake, I didn’t know how my family offended Nkechi. She does not see my wife and my humble self face-to-face. We did not know how we wronged her. When I brought my wife from the village, she was not pleased with the development. Instead of her to embrace and extend a hand of friendship to her, she hardly wanted to see her. So, it happened that on May 29, 2007, I was away where I work as a technician at Wein International Hotel, Surulere. I got home to find that Nkechi had fought with my wife. I know my wife more than any other person and I know she is humble and respects elders. I was told Nkechi accused my wife of being ignorant and arrogant, and did not have respect for elders. It was either she was jealous of my wife because she was pregnant, I would not know. So, I was surprised because she does the same to virtually all co-tenants, especially young couples just springing up. When I heard what she did, I confronted her to ask what my wife did to wrong her. Nkechi saw my action as rude and the fight started again. It was right before me that the woman pointed at my wife’s protruding belly, saying she would have complication during labour. She cursed that my wife would either die immediately after safe delivery, if God be on her side, or the baby would die in tender age. She did all this before other co-tenants and we were warned not to take it lightly with her. We also knew she has juju in her room, which she consults everyday, and that moved us to lodge a complaint at Ajeromi Police Station. Nkechi was invited to the station and made to sign an undertaking that nothing would happen to either my wife or her expectant baby. That was how the matter was settled at the station. I thought we would begin a new life until another surprise sprang.
"It happened that when my wife gave birth to the baby, while neighbours, near and far, besieged our home to congratulate us, the woman did not make any attempt to rejoice with us even when she did not come to our room, but also when she came in close contact with my wife at the general kitchen. She was unhappy and very cold towards our new baby. And this proved to us that she was still our enemy and bent on ensuring she gets back at us. And true to type, it is obvious she’s behind the death of Shedrack. And it was because of this same woman that my wife often went on fasting and prayer sessions. Whenever she heard there would be a crusade she would be there. With her pregnancy, I always advised her to take it easy with her fasting and prayer sessions and she would not budge. This means her steps then were the antidotes to the evil force we are staying with. But since Charity reduced in her prayer-war, the woman eventually had way. Nkechi has done her worst and we are poised to re-open the case file at the police station," said Harrison, father of the deceased baby.
On the fate of Mama Chibuzor, who is still detained at the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti Street, Yaba, Harrison pledged to withdraw the matter and let the Almighty God judge who is responsible. "Wether it was done advertently or inadvertently the rest is left for the Almighty God to judge. I have visited the woman at Panti and she pleaded her ignorance. Also, I have asked for the withdrawal of the matter, since her detention would not bring back the baby. In our own tradition, a father or mother of a deceased is prohibited from seeing the corpse of his or her child, so I have just called my friends to go to the Lagos Island General Hospital mortuary to remove the corpse for interment. I have done so and they have gone for the corpse to allow the matter rest so we can move forward in our endeavours," Harrison said.
He, however, expressed surprise on how Mama Chibuzor could feed the baby kerosine. According to Harrison, they never allowed anybody to feed their son except the mother. Again, it was common knowledge to Mama Chibuzor that Shedrack was not used to taking cold water. Even at that, to a right-thinking mother, Harrison noted, she must feel or taste the food or water she wants to give a new baby to establish whether it was cold or too hot before giving it to the baby.
"I have forgiven her since she said it was devil’s work. It was the same statement she made to the homicide operatives at SCID, Panti Street. So, what else can I do? Would her detention bring the child back?" queried Harrison.
However, other co-tenants attested to the May 29 fisticuff between Nkechi and Uzoh families. They referred to the attitude of the woman they accused of making herself unacceptable within the same building and other adjoining buildings. The co-tenants remarked that the woman was a hater of everybody. They were optimistic that sooner or later the Almighty God, who is more powerful than any creature, would expose her.
Nonetheless, Mama Chibuzor is expected to be released on Thursday, December 6, 2007, from detention, going by the request of Harrison, but the question is: would there be peace in the home after this incident?
Alternatively, parents of the dead baby have been advised to vacate the building and seek accommodation elsewhere to prevent further escalation of imminent clash.