Governor Peter Mbah’s government of Enugu State has announced that the 13-year-old girl who was rescued from a suspected ritual killer, Ukamaka Okonkwo, has been relocated to a facility for therapy and rehabilitation.
The development was confirmed in a statement on Sunday by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development in Enugu State, Ngozi Enih.
Naijaonpoint reported earlier how Miss Okonkwo was saved from a sewage pit where a native doctor, Levi Onyeka Obieze, allegedly pushed her for ritualistic reasons.
The incident took place last Monday in Umumba Ndiagu, a community located in the Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, in Nigeria’s South-east.
In addition to the girl, Obieze is said to have buried multiple individuals in the pit, including a pregnant woman.
However, all of them had perished by the time the girl was rescued last Monday. Obieze is also known by the names Ozo Ezeani and “E dey play E dey show.”
He was apprehended on Wednesday by officials from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at the Badagry-Seme Border Area of Lagos while attempting to flee Nigeria due to the incident.
Subsequently, the NIS authorities transferred him to the police for legal action.
You Can Imagine The Level Of Trauma
In the statement on Sunday, Enih said the State Governor has ordered that the rescued girl be moved to a rehabilitation centre because of the trauma she must have gone through.
“We travelled to Ndiagu Umumba, Ezeagu LGA, today (Sunday) at the governor’s instance to meet with parents of Ukamaka, and to bring her to Enugu (Urban) where she will undergo the necessary therapy and be fully rehabilitated.
“You can imagine the level of trauma this young girl must have passed through. So, the government wants to ensure that she bounces back fully in the shortest possible time,” she said.
The commissioner further stated that Governor Mbah has also awarded a scholarship to Miss Okonkwo, which will support her education from her current class to the university.
“The governor has also graciously awarded a scholarship to her, which is to see her through university education from her current class.
“This is just a way of reassuring her and her parents that they are not alone and to equally put smiles on their faces.
“Government wants to ensure that she fulfils her glorious destiny because she is a destined child,” she added.
Enih also mentioned that a government delegation visited the parents of another individual whose remains were retrieved from the native doctor’s sewage pit.
The victim, Chimaobi Ezih, had been reported missing after being kidnapped several weeks ago while returning home from school in the community.
The commissioner stated that the delegation travelled to Agba Umana, a neighbouring community within the council area, to express condolences to the victim’s parents regarding their loss.
She noted that the identity of the pregnant woman, who was also discovered deceased in the native doctor’s sewage pit, has yet to be confirmed.
Enih assured that both the government and security forces are actively working to apprehend all individuals implicated in the alleged ritual abductions and murders.
“That is the only way to appease the spirits and souls of the deceased and to get our society rid of such crimes,” she said.