The Nigerian police have reported that the father of an 11-year-old boy who was buried alive by his stepbrother in Apamsede, Kogi, is now a fugitive.
The Kogi Command spokesperson, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, informed journalists of this development.
SP Williams stated that the police are actively searching for the boy’s father, identified as Oshodi, in order to hear his side of the story.
However, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Garba Ahmed, the district head of Apamsede, revealed that on the day of the incident, the father, stepmother, and stepson were summoned to the traditional ruler’s palace to explain the circumstances that led to the horrifying act of burying the boy alive.
“When they came to the chief’s palace, Mr. Oshodi, the father of the 11-year-old boy, was present at the palace when both the stepson and stepmother gave reasons for their action.
“The boy’s father probably ran away when we insisted on inviting the police to handle the matter,” Mr Ahmed was quoted by NAN.
The suspects’ family will face further consequences, as they will be required to make sacrifices to purify the land before being banished.
“After the stepmother and her son face the consequences of the law, we will banish them from this land. But before that, the family must perform a cleansing ritual,” Mr. Ahmed added.
On Saturday morning, the police escorting the boy’s stepmother back to their Apamsede home noticed that the shovel and cutlass, allegedly used to bury the teenager, were missing.
Despite the residence being locked, the police observed certain alterations in the surroundings compared to their previous visit on Friday.
“Somebody must have entered this house. Yesterday, when we came here, the house was locked, and the window curtain inside wasn’t down, as we can see now. Some of the things that we found outside here yesterday are no longer here. Somebody must have come around here,” the police stated.
The officers had to forcibly enter the house as the woman claimed she had no key.
An officer asked, “Where’s the shovel and cutlass you said were in the house? This is because nothing is here. Somebody must have taken the valuables from here.”
| Sahara Reporters
