We had reported on Monday that a young boy, Joshua Zikeme, has passed away as a result of some high degree of injuries inflicted on him by his father and step-mother in a community in Bayelsa state over allegation of witchcraft.
While speaking in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, Mrs. Erueke John, the biological mother of late the 7-year-old boy, who was tortured to death at Akaba community in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, cried out that her son was a victim of a vicious father and not a wizard.
The bitter woman claimed that the allegation of wizardry by the suspects was based on a revelation from a church based in Yenagoa.
According to her, “the church is a one room place of worship. They claimed they took my son to the place and they were told he was a wizard,” adding that her son was tied to a stake and savagely brutalised to death.
Speaking further, the 29-year-old mother of the deceased, said though the boy was stubborn, he never displayed any sign of wizardry as alleged by the suspects.
She said: “They killed my son in cold blood. I was told the suspects used sharp objects to slice all parts of his body in an attempt to exorcise him.
“I left the father’s house while I was pregnant with the boy, because he was beating me and was also into illegal sales of hard drugs.
“If he had come alone to seek the child’s custody, I would have objected because he is too violent. But the step-mother pleaded and I agreed. Many people, including the aunty in school, warned me but I allowed them take the child. And they have killed him for me.”
The police had, Monday, arrested the deceased boy’s father, Idiesy Zikeme, and the step-mother, Eunice Zikeme, on suspicion of torturing the boy to death, and they are to be transferred to the homicide section of the state Police Command for further interrogation.
The deceased, according to security sources, was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, dead with several bruises on his body, a development that raised the suspicion of the management, who promptly alerted the police, leading to the couple’s arrest.
Meanwhile the proprietress of the school where the Nursery 3 pupil attend, said that the pupils Dominion Success Academy, were shocked on hearing news of the boy’s death.
Mrs. Julianna Isaac, said: “We are shocked at the death of the boy. That a child showed signs of stubbornness does not make him a wizard and be killed in cold blood. We know him and we even missed him during the last exams.”
