Incident Details: Alleged Witchcraft Attack Leads to Murder
A 29-year-old lady, identified as Ndidiamaka Ossai, has been arrested for smashing her mother’s skull with a hard object over an accusation of witchcraft attack.
The incident reportedly occurred at Umuogbo Ulor Community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State on Sunday night, following an earlier revelation by the suspect’s pastor that her mother had been attacking her spirituality.
It was alleged that Ndidiamaka had what was described as “Sleep Paralysis,” in medical parlance, and blamed her mother, who was sleeping in the same house, for causing the problems for her.
However, Ndidiamaka’s pastor had earlier revealed to her that her mother, Virginia Ossai, always turned into a witch in her sleep and moved around to attack her spirituality. Hence, she used a hard wood to smash her mother’s skull shortly after regaining her consciousness following Sunday night’s sleep paralysis.
Cover-Up and Discovery of the Crime
It was learnt that after killing her mother, she later informed neighbours and relations that the deceased missed her steps and hit her head on the floor inside her bedroom on Sunday night following a domestic accident.
She had thereafter invited her mother’s relations from the neighbouring Igbelle Community, also in the same council area, to come for the funeral, which was to commence on Monday morning.
Our Reporter gathered that it was while some of the neighbours were voluntarily digging the grave for Virginia’s burial that some villagers, who suspected foul play, alerted members of the Neighbourhood Watch. They then apprehended the suspect and took her to the Igbo-Eze North Police Headquarters at Enugu Ezike, where she confessed what actually transpired and how she killed her mother for being a witch, based on her pastor’s advice.
Investigation and Arrests
It was gathered that the Neighbourhood Watch operatives recovered the hardwood with which she used in smashing her mother’s head in the nearby bush, as well as her late mother’s blood-soaked shower cap.
The Neighbourhood Commander for the Local Government, who also doubles as the Zonal Commander for Enugu North Senatorial District, Anselem Odo, confirmed the development, noting that the late Virginia bit her daughter in one of her fingers when she was struggling to save herself from being killed.
Odo, a retired police officer, further said that the grave diggers, including Ikechukwu Eze and Ikechukwu Ojobo, respectively, were arrested alongside three other suspects to help the security agents in their investigations over the murder. A manhunt had been mounted by security agents to also apprehend the pastor who informed the suspect that her mother always turned into a witch to attack her in her sleep.
