…alleges they assaulted her when she was 7-month-old pregnant
May 13, 2018 would remain a day the family of Simon Ogah of Urevene, beside St. Augustine Seminary School Ezzamgbo in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State would never forget in a hurry.
On this day, the hope of the Ogah family to welcome a new healthy bouncing baby boy was dashed. Rather, they were confronted with an unexpected gory sight: a stillbirth of a stone dead child with its head battered and covered with an injury, its little stomach ripped open with its intestines and other entrails dangling outside of its body!
On this day, the hope of the Ogah family to welcome a new healthy bouncing baby boy was dashed. Rather, they were confronted with an unexpected gory sight: stillbirth of a stone dead child with its head battered and covered with an injury, its little stomach ripped open with its intestines and other entrails dangling outside of its body!
This was the consequence of an alleged physical attack and assault on Mrs. Ifeoma Ogah on March 19, 2018, when she was about seven months pregnant.
Ifeoma was allegedly attacked and assaulted by her husband’s brother, Mr. Paul Uzoke along with his five children.
They allegedly hit the then seven-month-old pregnant Ifeoma with big sticks all over her body, not minding her delicate condition.
During the attack, the pregnant woman allegedly sustained injuries resulting in the swelling of her right hand, stomach pains and other discomfort she later suffered from.
And two months after the attack, she had a stillbirth and was delivered of a dead, deformed baby boy!
Narrating the incident to our correspondent, her husband, Ogah alleged that his elder brother, Uzoke, and his children beat up his then seven-month-old pregnant wife at the stream, where she had gone to fetch some water.
He said trouble started when some children made some inscriptions with a white chalk on the wall and his elder brother ordered them to clean it up, which they did.
He, however, said Uzoke suddenly pounced on his daughter, beating her and his pregnant wife had to intervene.
Ogah said that his pregnant wife told Uzoke to stop beating her daughter because she was not among the children who wrote on the wall.
Ogah added that after the incident, Ifeoma left for the stream to fetch water, while Uzoke and his children allegedly went after the heavily pregnant woman, who he claimed they “mercilessly” beat up.
He said, “My children and my elder brother’s children wrote something on the wall, which he ordered them to clean. As they were doing that, he started beating up my first daughter who wasn’t among them and my wife told him not to beat my daughter that she wasn’t one of them. But he refused. After that, my wife went to the stream to fetch water. My elder brother and his children went after her with big sticks and they beat her up and she sustained so much injuries.
“She also had contractions after the attack; even when the children were mobilised by their father to go after my wife, elders who were around tried to stop them, but all their efforts proved abortive.”
Ogah stated that when his wife eventually gave birth to the new baby on May 13, 2018, what he saw shocked him! He said what he saw his wife deliver was different from his expectations as he had thought he would receive his new child hale and hearty.
He said the baby his wife delivered was deformed, seriously injured and had died before its birth.
Pained by the loss of the newborn baby, Ogah said that he took the remains of the dead child to his elder brother, Uzoke, who ran away to Ezzamgbo Police Station, where he lodged a complaint accusing his family of wanting to kill him with stones and sticks.
Ogah said but when policemen came to arrest him, they met a different scenario and ordered the family to deposit the dead child’s corpse in the mortuary, while they continued with their investigation.
Ogah said he told police that he didn’t have money to keep the deceased baby’s corpse in the mortuary and they gave them the option to either take a photo of the dead child before burying him or to deposit the corpse in a mortuary.
Ogah said, ”Since the March incident, my wife has not been herself because of the beating she received from Uzoke and his children. On May 13, 2018, she gave birth to a baby boy. God being so kind, it was not through operation. But what I saw was different from what I was expecting. The child’s head was covered with wound, his stomach was open with his intestine coming out and he was already dead. I took him to my brother to eat the meat he killed on March 14, but he ran away to Ezzamgbo Police Station to make a different entry that my family wanted to kill him with stones and sticks.
”As police came to arrest me, I showed them my little child whom he killed in the process of hitting my wife with sticks on March, when she was seven months pregnant. The police men were weak and asked me to deposit the remains in the mortuary, but I pleaded with them that I didn’t have money and they gave me an option of either taking its photograph, front and back view, or deposit him in mortuary, which will help them in their investigations.
”So I just took the pictures and buried my son that same day. Look at my wife, she is dying, she is not healthy. She is still suffering from the trauma. I just wish that this man will be brought to book and dealt with so that he will learn his lessons.”
Ogah, however, called on the Ebonyi State Government and human rights organisations to intervene in the matter to ensure justice for his late son and other members of his family, alleging that nothing meaningful had been done by the police since March this year when the matter was reported to them.
He alleged that the inaction of the police since March had lent credence to his brother’s threat that he would deal with him and his family members as he pleased and nothing would happen.
Our correspondent’s efforts to speak with Uzoke proved abortive.
Also, efforts to reach the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Loveth Odah, were not successful as of the time of filing this report.
Her phone remained switched off.
