TRAGIC: 7 Year Old Boy Detained Over Alleged Murder of Another Boy

The Enugu State Police Command has detained a 7-year-old boy, identified as Chibuike Oramalu, for alleged murder, Punch reports.

The young boy, according to Punch, was detained over the death of a 12-year-old boy, Oluebube Boniface, on the 29th of May, 2016, while his mother, Nwakaego Oramalu, was detained on the 30th of May.

The single mother of five, who works as a housekeeper, said the incident occurred at her boss’ residence in the Independence Layout area of Enugu, where she worked and lived with her children. She explained that Edwin Oforma, the owner of the property, had provided accommodation for her in the house.

She narrated, “On May 29, while I was away at the Adoration Ministry at Emene in Enugu, for the Sunday church service, my boss’ son, Chukwunanu Oforma, a National Youth Service Corps member, asked my son, Chibuike, and Chibuike’s 10-year-old brother, Ifeanyichukwu, to tidy up a room belonging to his father.

“While Ifeanyichukwu swept the room, Chibuike laid the bed. Chibuike found a gun near the bed where he was working, and he took it to Ifeanyichukwu, who asked him to return it. It was while he was returning the gun that he mistakenly pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet which struck Oluebube, who was in the next compound, on the chest. He died on the spot.”

She further said that after she was called to return home from the church, policemen from the New Haven Police Station removed the corpse and took her along with her children into custody.

The matter was later transferred to the State Criminal and Investigation Department, Police Headquarters, Enugu, where Nwakaego and her children made statements. The mother said she was released along with her other children two days later, while Chibuike remained in custody as the principal suspect.

According to Nwakaego, the police insisted that they would not release the young boy until after they had seen her boss and the owner of the gun. Yet, she said that she had not seen Chukwunanu or his father, Edwin Oforma, since the incident.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, however, maintained that the boy was no longer in detention.

A human rights lawyer who works with the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Olu Omotayo, in a petition to the Inspector-General of Police dated 10th of July, 2016, has demanded the release of the young boy.

He made it clear that a seven-year-old was not capable of committing a crime under the law. He said, “Nowhere in the world will a seven-year-old boy be detained in police cell for over a month alongside hardened adult criminals.”

Photo credit: Punch