The murder suspect, Ovie Abraham
They were desperate to spend the night with the Lord, so they forced open a window and entered through that. Shortly after, they started praying, jingling the bell as they presented their request to God. Then suddenly, a strange spirit possessed the son; he pounced on his mother and hacked her to death.
The only difference between what happened in Benin, Edo State, last Thursday and a Nollywood movie is that while the victim would rise at the end of the movie, the victim of the Benin butchery has remained stone cold, dead as dodo, never to be seen walking the face of the earth again.
It was bizarre, gruesome and unbelievable, but Mrs Comfort Orunumen was killed by her son identified as Ovie Abraham Orunumen. The 29-year old Ovie allegedly killed his mother around 2:00 a.m. last Thursday inside the Chapel of Glory Church International at 21, Isiuwa Street, off Ugbowo – Lagos Road in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Ovie, who is now being held by the police in connection with the murder, and his deceased mother are said to be indigenes of Ozoro in Delta State. Ovie’s father is reported to be a pastor in one of the branches of the church in Edo State.
Ovie purportedly lured his mother to the church on the pretext that they were going to have a special night vigil for deliverance that night, however, the events that followed later indicated that he probably had other motives. Ovie was said to have on several occasions accused the mother of being ‘the devil’ hindering him from prosperity. Then, on the day of the killing, it seemed his patience deserted him, and he allegedly struck, maybe in a bid to end his claim of living in the midst of poverty, and ultimately, deliver himself and perhaps his mother from his own torture.
It was learnt that Ovie who was held last week at the Benin Area Command of the Nigeria Police and his mother, Comfort, were reported to have gained entry into the church through the window.
Some of the neighbours said they heard people praying inside the church in the night amidst the sound of a ringing church bell. Besides, some residents of the street where the church is located who chose to remain anonymous said they later heard the cry of someone but could not immediately ascertain what was happening because of the noise of the heavy rain that fell that night.
The accused who spoke in somewhat incoherent manner during an interview said he killed his mother because a devil had possessed her.
“I killed her so that I would be beaten very well. Do you know why all what I said is happening, it is because Jesus said the truth and the truth shall set you free. My father is a pastor. The people of my town do not believe in God. She is already in hell fire. I will not pray for forgiveness. I killed her with my hands. The world will end today but they say I am a false prophet. We were praying for God to forgive our enemies. I wanted to remove her head”, he said.
A resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity, said he heard noises and somebody was crying inside the church while the bell rang.
“That is how they pray in the church so we didn’t bother to go and find out what was happening”, the resident said.
The presiding pastor of the church, who identified himself as Daniel Oghe, said he received a call at about 2 a.m. that somebody was shouting inside the church but that he did not believe because the church was locked.
“I came this morning and saw that the church was locked but somebody was shouting inside. I went to the police station to lodge a report and was called that a boy had thrown somebody out of the church and that the person was dead. I don’t know the boy in person. From the way the boy was talking, he is from Ozoro branch. She might be the wife of the pastor of the branch. They passed through the window. They don’t attend my church here at all”, he added.
Besides, another member of the church said the suspect was not a member of their church and that they were still wondering how they gained access into the church.
Some family members told Nigerian Tribune that the suspect had always troubled the mother, just as they also claimed that when the deceased drew their attention regarding her intention to go for a night vigil with her son, they advised her not to turn up for the vigil because the church was not in session.
The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr. Peter Ogboi, confirmed the killing, saying the police were taking steps on the matter and the boy was already in police custody.
Source : tribune.com.ng
No comments:
Post a Comment