Man Dumps Neighbour's 7-year-old Son in Soakaway Pit After He Accidentally Died in His Hands

A man who was charged with murder has told the touching story of how the boy died in his hands.

 

A 26-year-old man, Patrick Nwachukwu, on Wednesday denied strangling his neighbour’s seven-year-old son to death.

 

Nwachukwu, a footballer, made the denial at an Ikeja High Court in Lagos State while being cross-examined by Akin George, the Chief State Prosecutor.

 

He said: “I was carrying the boy on my shoulder and walking towards the door and the floor was slippery, as a result we fell down.

“The child became unconscious and I poured water on him trying to revive him but he did not wake up

“I shook him several times, tapped him, but he was dead.

“At that point, I don’t know what to do again.

“I was scared of what would be done to me if people in the neighbourhood found out what happened to Ayuba.”

 

Nwachukwu, however, admitted that he disposed Ayuba’s corpse with a rope in an underground septic tank, also known as soakaway.

 

He said: “I did the only thing that came to my mind by disposing the corpse in a soakaway located on the street.”

 

The defendant said he would not be comfortable facing Ayuba’s family and the whole neighbourhood searching for him. Nwachukwu denied writing a N5 million ransom note to the family of the deceased, adding: “I am not aware of the contents of the letter presented by my uncle.”

 

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Nwachukwu had on January 12, 2013 allegedly strangled Ayuba, the child of his neighbour. He allegedly demanded a ransom of N5 million from Ayuba’s parents, but was caught a week after the child’s disappearance. He was caught following the recognition of his handwriting on the ransom note by his uncle.

 

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, however, adjourned the case till April 18 for continuation of trial.

 

NAN