Uneasy calm pervades the sleepy town of Eche Ezema village in Igbo Eze South local government area of Enugu state, over the killing of four innocent children of the same parents of the community.

Vanguard gathered that the four children, born of the same parents, were hacked to death by the yet-to-be-identified driver of a popular pastor of the Sabbath Presbyterian church in the community over an alleged altercation.

Our investigations revealed that the four children belonged to a palm kernel merchant, simply identified as Chinonso (aka Okwudike), who had gone to procure palm kernel and left the four children behind while their mother was out to Nkwo Ibagwa market on the fateful day of the incident.

A reliable source who would not want his name in print disclosed that the alleged assailant of the four children, now at large was the driver of a popular pastor of Sabbath Presbyterian church in the village known as Chinedu Ezedike (aka Pastor Ezedike).

The assailant, having perfected his mission, carried the four dead bodies to a nearby cassava farm where he dumped them and covered them with cassava stems and leaves, and fled the community.

Our source also said that the Sabbath Pastor, Ezedike, hails from the same Eche Ezema village with the palm kernel merchant, explaining that the pastor had allegedly been into shoddy deals, harassing residents of the village and confiscating people?s lands on flimsy reasons.

?Pastor Chinedu aka Ezedike shares adjoining boundary with the palm kernel merchant, Chinoso aka Okwuike, from where his allege driver scaled the fence wall, entered the compound and hacked the four children to death? he noted.

?The palm kernel merchant on arrival, could not see the children, and conducted a quick search only to discover them in a cassava farm, covered with cassava stems and leaves. He raised alarm and collapsed. While his wife, on arrival from the market, collapsed too. Both were rushed to the hospital, while their slain children were deposited in the morgue.?

News of the tragic incident sparked tension across the locality as youths staged solidarity protests demanding immediate intervention of local and state governments to unravel the circumstances of the killings and arrest of the fleeing assailant of the four innocent children.

Contacted on the barbaric killing of the four children which sparked protests in the area, Chairman, Igbo Eze South local government area, Chief Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze, also deputy chairman ALGON Enugu state, said that that would be the last thing that would happen under his watch; that is, allowing miscreants to commit crime and go scotch free.

?The unfortunate incident was a crime any sane person would not allow the perpetrator to go unpunished as four innocent children not up to 10 years of age, were hacked to death, dumped in a lifeless state in their own neighborhood within the local government area.

?My visit to the village scene of the incident showed that the church is more of an herbalist environment in the name of church. We found out that the proximity between the deceased four children and the church was just a whispering voice call. From the account of the parents, they closely suspect one of the occupants of the church. The deceased family worship in the same environment of the church and even consulted the Pastor Ezedike with 2,500 to find out if anything happened with his family.

?It might interest you to know that the family of the four children made statement in the past at police station about how one Mathew attempted to attack them with pistol. On two occasions how the same person attempted to attack the family with a pestle and an iron rod before the recent incident of the four children. The man said he only reported the attempted attack incidents to the leadership of the church pastor Ezedike.?

Investigations are ongoing into the heinous crime. We as government have gone to the scene of the church because of the evidence of prime facie evidence, not just parents but residents around the vicinity.

?We have sealed the environment as a crime scene area pending investigations. Preliminary arrest was made, the leader of the religious environment was picked up, seeing that the assailant closely suspected had lived with them for over one year and up to the day of the crime. Ever since the incident nobody has seen him.

?The leader of the church was still denying knowing the assailant even when we established his room in the in the church environment, the denial convinced us that there are hidden Issues based on our findings. The leader of the church, Chinedu Ezedike, and the admin, Oluchi, have been arrested and are helping the police in their investigation.

?The protests were more or less solidarity protests, and the residents of the community were assured that evil would not thrive in the locality, no matter how heavy it may be.

?Just recently two newly-ordained reverend sisters were abducted and rescued in less than 24 hours of their abduction without any ransom paid.

?Last two weeks ago we convened security meeting, mandated every traditional ruler and president general PGs to awaken their local vigilante to security of lives and property and not banking on police, civil defense and the military,? stated Ukwueze. (Vanguard: Text, Excluding Headline)

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