A five-year-old boy named Wisdom has been reportedly kidnapped and brutally murdered by his 17-year-old cousin, identified as Ikedi Obodo Agu, in Ngwo, Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The tragic incident has thrown the community into shock and mourning.
According to reports, Ikedi lured young Wisdom away from his home while the child was playing hide-and-seek with other children and handed him over to a security guard, allegedly intending to sell him for ritual purposes.
When the supposed buyer failed to appear, Ikedi turned to extortion, initially demanding a ransom of N15 million, which he later reduced to N200,000 and then N40,000.
However, when the victim’s family insisted on speaking with Wisdom before making any payment, Ikedi, fearing exposure, brutally clubbed the boy to death and buried him in the bush to conceal the crime.
Emmanuel Chinedu Ozoagu, who first shared the story on his Facebook page along with photos of Ikedi and Wisdom, as well as a video showing the exhumation of the child’s body, said, “Fearing the boy would recognize him, Ikedi — who had kept Wisdom tied and blindfolded in the bush near his father’s house, clubbed him to death and buried him there.
“The police were alerted, and Ikedi and the security guard were arrested. He noted that Wisdom’s body was later exhumed and given a proper burial,” he wrote.
“Police technology and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit traced the Hausa accomplice, a security guard at a Company at Enugu–Onitsha expressway, who had been making ransom calls. Ikedi was brought home to identify the grave, he narrowly escaped being lynched by the youths!
“And young Wisdom’s body was exhumed, given a proper, respectful and befitting burial.”
Ozoagu added, “To you Ikedi, it’s a long journey and walk to redemption. You did the crime you will do the time.
“To Mr. Vincent Obodo Agu (father of Ikedi) Omuru Nwa amughu Uche nye. May God strengthen you and your family.
“To Mr. Jude Amadi Obodo Agu (father of Wisdom), we pray for God’s unfailing comfort and fortitude to bear the loss.
“Ozoemena — may such evil never happen again.”
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, attempts to reach the police spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls.
