Atragic incident has occurred in Enugu State, where a 23-year-old man, Chiemelie Nnaji, died after drowning in a river during an exorcism ritual.
Chiemelie, who was known for roasting pork and chicken in front of a motel in Obiagu, had a history of epilepsy.
According to eyewitnesses, Chiemelie’s mother, Ezenwanyi, took him and a client to the Mmiri Ani river in Obiagu for spiritual cleansing, believing his health condition was more a matter of spiritual concern than a medical issue.
Sources report that during the ritual, Chiemelie had an epileptic seizure and fell into the river. Despite being notified, his mother reportedly continued chanting incantations and refused to assist him.
According to the sources, it was the client who intervened and raised an alarm, attracting people from the neighbourhood who helped rescue Chiemelie’s body. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at a hospital after being rejected by two other hospitals.
“When we got to the river, we met Ezenwanyi chanting incantations while the other woman was crying helplessly. But we managed to bring him out and took him to the hospital.
“The two hospitals we took him to rejected him. It was at the third hospital that he was pronounced dead,” one of the sources said.
Meanwhile, the spiritualist, Ezenwanyi, has reportedly been arrested by the Enugu State police command, the source said.
However, the spokesperson for the police in Enugu State, SP Daniel Ndukwe, hasn’t issued an official statement confirming the incident and has yet to respond to a text message seeking his comment about the incident.
