A 33 –year- old man, Martin Odanwu from Amaofia Ngbo, in Ohaukwu local government of Ebonyi state has been arrested for allegedly killing his 11-year- old stepson, Edeh Destiny.
Odanwu was said to have beaten the boy to death after he saw him and his other children outside their home at odd hours.
The incident occurred at Ohaukwu local government area of the state.
Police in the area arrested the suspect and transferred him to the state police headquarters in Abakaliki where he is currently being detained.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, said the Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba has ordered full investigation into the killing.
She said: “On 27 July, 2021, one Chijioke from Umuogudu Akpu, Okposhi Eshi in Ngbo, Ohaukwu local government and one Ekene Ituma of the same address went to the police station in Ohaukwu and reported that around 1:30 am, they heard the voice of a woman crying, that when they went to find out what happened, they saw a lifeless 11 -year-old boy, by name, Edeh Destiny, on the ground. When they asked the woman, she said the boy was beaten to death by her husband, Martin Odanwu, of Amaofia Ngbo.
“The woman said the man is her husband and not the father of the boy. The woman confirmed that she is a mother of seven and that the man is her husband. She said when she got married to the man, she had three children before that boy and that along the line, she had issues which kept them away and she mistakenly took in for another man. She has however resolved the issue and the boy has been accepted back by her husband.
“I asked her why the man beat the child to death and she said that her husband was sick and she had some illness and she wanted her own family to help her and treat the illness. So, all of them, including her children went to her parent’s house and spent about four months before the man went back to their own house. The man went to the market to buy things and on his way coming, he saw his children and started quarreling with them on why they were outside by that time. He caught the other boy and beat him to death.
“Ohaukwu Police arrested the suspect and handed over to the police. As I am talking to you, Martin Odanwu is in the cell. The Commissioner of Police has ordered full scale investigation into the matter to unravel the circumstances behind the killing.”
