Mrs. Nwakaego Oramalu is the mother of seven-year-old Chibuike Oramalu, who was arraigned for murder on July 29 by the police in Enugu. The single mother narrates the incident to IHUOMA CHIEDOZIE
Tell us about yourself.
I am Mrs. Nwakaego Oramalu. Chibuike is my son. I have five children and he is the third child.
We learnt that your seven-year-old son, Chibuike, was charged with murder. What really happened?
On May 29 this year, I was at the Adoration Ground in Emene, Enugu, when someone called me on the telephone to come back home. The person who called me said I should rush home and that it was a matter of life and death. I became worried. I asked the person if anything had happened to my children because they were healthy when I left the house. But I was told to return home immediately. It was at that point that I became confused. When I got home, I saw policemen around the compound. I asked them what happened and they told me to ask my children. One of my children told me that our landlord’s son asked two of my children to clean his father’s room upstairs and when they started the cleaning, Chibuike made the bed while his elder, Ifeanyichukwu, swept the room.
I was told that while they were doing the cleaning, Chibuike saw a gun and carried it to show his elder brother, saying ‘Ifeanyi, look at this gun’ but Ifeanyichukwu told him to go and drop it where he took it from. As he made to return the gun, it fired accidentally — the bullet pierced the window to the next compound, drilled a water tank and hit a 12-year-old boy, who died instantly.
I learnt that immediately the landlord and his son heard of what happened they ran away. The police then decided to take me and my children away to New Haven Police Station, Enugu, Enugu State.
On the next day, May 30, the police transferred the case to state Criminal Investigation Department, Enugu, where they kept us for some days before they released me and my other children but detained my seven-year-old son, Chibuike pending the arrest of the landlord. The corpse of the boy was also taken to the mortuary.
While Chibuike was in detention, I searched for help until I met a lawyer, Mr. Olu Omotayo, who assisted me to facilitate his release on July 13.
Was he taken to court?
Yes, he was arraigned for murder on July 29. He was arraigned alongside the landlord when the latter reported himself to the police.
When your son was released from detention on July 13, did the police tell you they would charge him to court?
No, they did not tell me anything like that.
Were you informed that he would appear in court the day he was taken to court?
I was not told. On July 29, the police called me that the commissioner of police wanted to see me to discuss plans for the burial of the 12-year-old boy (Oluebube) who was felled by the bullet. I was told to come with Chibuike. I rushed to the SCID. When I got there, they told me that we should enter a vehicle which would take us to court. It was when we got to the court that I called my lawyer.
When your son was released after the court session, were you given another date to appear in court?
No. They said that the police would visit me on Tuesday, August 2, to know where I live so that I won’t run away. I was told to visit the SCID on August 2 and take them to where I stay with my children.
How do you feel about the entire situation?
I am sad. I am unhappy that a 12-year-old boy died and now the landlord is also in detention. I never knew that the case would get to this level. I am very worried. My fear now is if the landlord dies in detention, my family will be responsible for his death. He is an old man. My children and I are not safe. I have a strong feeling that we are not safe.
Why do you feel insecure?
I feel that the landlord’s children or his family members can attack us because in the court, the landlord’s lawyer looked at Chibuike and said, ‘So Chibuike, you are the one that put landlord in prison?’ But the policeman around at the time cautioned him to stop saying that.
Have you spoken with the landlord after the incident?
I have been speaking with him, even when he ran away. He told me that he was not the one who killed the boy. He told me he was busy and would turn himself in when he had the chance.
When did he eventually come out from hiding?
I do not know but one day, I called the police officer in charge of the case who told me that the landlord was with them. I told my lawyer who advised me to go to the SCID to confirm.
Was the landlord hostile to you and your son?
He has not been. I never knew that this case would get to this level, to the extent of going to court. I do not know how his family will feel about the whole matter. There was a day I wanted to go to the landlord’s house, but I was advised not to go there. They said his family members might not be happy with me.
Have you moved your belongings from his house?
No, my belongings are still in the room I stayed with my children in the landlord’s house.
Where are you staying now?
I now stay with a friend at Emene area in Enugu.
At the court, the police said your son connived with the landlord to commit murder. What do you have to say about that?
It was not a plan, there was no plan. The landlord’s son told my son to go and tidy his father’s room. It was not a plan between my son and the landlord. What the police are saying is not true. There is nothing like a plan. How can the landlord and my little boy plan to kill someone?
Is your son violent?
My son is not violent. He is a peaceful and good natured boy. He is a gentle and easy-going boy.
What has been the reaction of the parents of the boy that was killed?
When I went to see them, they said they were not interested in any case. They said the case was with the police. They advised me to meet with the police.
The police said they did not detain your son and that they were only protecting him from a hostile mob that wanted to lynch him after a stray bullet killed the 12-year-old. Has anybody tried to attack your son?
On the day of the incident, members of the late boy’s family were asking for the landlord’s son. They said they suspected the landlord’s son and not my son. When my children and I were being taken away by the police, the people around were shouting ‘leave that woman and her children alone. They are not the ones to arrest.’
Where is the landlord’s son that asked Chibuike to clean his father’s room?
He is on the run.
Are you hoping that the case will be resolved amicably?
That is my prayer. May be the case would have been settled by now if the landlord did not run away initially.
Did your son tell you about his experience in detention?
While he was at the SCID, whenever I went to see him, I usually asked him, ‘Are they beating you?’ and he always said no. He only said they were sending him on errands.
Did he tell you the type of errands he ran?
He said sometimes they told him to buy things for them like food and drinks. He said they usually asked him to buy things for himself too.
Was he put in the same cell with criminals?
No, he was not put in the same cell with criminals. He was detained inside a female cell but whenever prostitutes were arrested, they would take him to the statement room.
Has he resumed school after he was released?
Schools are on vacation now. He did not attend school since May 29.
Has the incident affected him in any way?
I think so because I noticed he has been absent-minded on several occasions. Sometimes, I will be talking to him and he would just stare at me. Whenever I notice that, I will hit him and ask, ‘where did your mind go?’ He was not like that before.
Has anybody abused him because of what happened?
When he came out of detention, I noticed that whenever people see him, they usually say ‘Look at that boy that killed somebody.’ I do not like that and I stopped him from going out. But he has started going out now. I told him not to say anything about the incident to anybody.
How did he feel when he was taken to court?
He cried especially when he was called to stand in the dock. I told him not to cry and to stand where they told him to stand. He later did as I told him. But he kept crying.
Was he asked whether he was guilty or not guilty?
They did not ask him.
Was the landlord asked?
No. He did not say anything. It was their lawyers that spoke.
Where is the landlord now?
He is in prison custody.
Before this incident, were you aware that the landlord owns a gun?
Yes, because he used to shoot it at night sometimes to scare away robbers.
Did the landlord explain why the gun was loaded?
No. They asked in the court but he did not say anything.
What do you really want now?
I want the police to leave me and my children alone. I want us to be free. I wish people would help me to settle the dead boy’s family so that my children and I will be safe. As long as the boy is still in the mortuary, we cannot know peace until he is buried.
Is the late boy’s family asking for any form of compensation?
They are not asking me for anything but my lawyer told me that the landlord’s lawyer asked him to give him my number to call me. He said I could be of help but my lawyer told him that I had no money.
Which money?
The lawyer said the money to settle the family of the late boy.
How much are they demanding?
I was told that they mentioned about N8m. They asked the landlord, but he told them he had only N500,000.
Did they collect it from him?
No, they did not.
Are the police aware of the demand for N8m?
I do not know if they are aware.
What reason did the police give for not releasing the boy’s corpse for burial?
They said they would do autopsy first. Initially, they asked us to bring N125, 000 for autopsy, later they reduced it to N60, 000. They have not done it yet because we have not given them any money.
Who did the police ask to bring money for the autopsy?
When the incident happened, the police asked me and the father of the late boy to bring the money. But the boy’s father said he did not have any money. I also told them that I had no money. Now, the late boy’s family is questioning why they should be asked to bring money when it was their son that died.
How are Chibuike’s siblings reacting to the incident?
They are not happy. They cry every day.
When your son was released from detention, did you feel that was the end of the case?
I was happy at that time but when I remembered the dead boy, I became sad. I thought that when the landlord turned himself in, everything would end
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