Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has assured Mrs Augustina Ifebuchechukwu Eze, whose seven-year-old son, was allegedly killed by her husband, Chidi Onyishi, for money ritual that the state government will do everything within its power to ensure that she and her children do not suffer.
Governor Ugwuanyi who spoke through his Special Adviser on Information, Steve Oruruo, stated that the state government will steadfastly stand behind the family in order to overcome the shock and mitigate their suffering.
The Adviser on Information led a delegation to Eze’s house to commiserate with the mourning woman and her children.
The Enugu governor expressed sadness over the dastardly act and said he there to condole with the woman and her children to lessen their burden, even as he prayed for the repose of the slain child’s soul.
Ugwuanyi stressed that the act perpetrated by the father of six (the woman’s husband) was “unimaginable and unthinkable by all standards”.
The governor later presented a cash donation of N500,000 to them for their interim upkeep. He declared: “We want to reassure you that the state government will stand vigorously behind you and mitigate the suffering of your kids and contribute immensely to your recovery from this shock.
“And it is the wish of the government to use all legal means to ensure that there is diligent investigation and that the course of justice will be subverted. The government is poised not to allow it to be truncated.
“Everything that needs to be done will be done by Enugu State government to ensure that you find justice and overcome this challenge.
“We’re interested in your wellbeing and that of your children. Government will be with you and will give you support as we pray that God will give you stronger reason to find comfort.
He explained that the amount was given to the woman and her kids in the interim, assuring that “every other thing that should be done will be done and this interface will continue between you and the state government to ensure that you and your children are comfortable”.
Responding, Mrs. Eze, thanked the governor for his compassion and benevolence, explaining that she is still in shock over the incident.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
