Owerri, Nigeria – A 20-month-old child has reportedly been killed by a stray bullet in Umuoba-Uratta, Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, southeastern Nigeria. The incident, which occurred late on Monday night, has shocked the community.
The deceased, identified as Emmanuel Eleweke, was the third child of Mr. and Mrs. Okechukwu Eleweke.
His mother, Mrs. Kelechi Eleweke, described the “mysterious circumstances” of her son’s death to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). She recounted being with her son on their bed when she heard a loud sound and felt a “splash of sand-like objects.” Immediately, her son screamed for help, and she then saw blood covering his body and the bed.
Mrs. Eleweke said she and her husband, Okechukwu, rushed the child out for help. However, their efforts to get immediate medical attention were hampered. According to Mrs. Eleweke, a doctor at a nearby private hospital allegedly “demanded for a police report before treating my child,” a requirement they pleaded against. The doctor reportedly applied a plaster to the boy’s head and directed them to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Owerri.
Mr. Okechukwu Eleweke stated that after a delay, they eventually found a vehicle to take them to the FMC. “For the period we were in transit, I can say the boy was alive until we got to FMC gate,” he told NAN. However, upon reaching the emergency paediatric ward, a doctor quickly examined Emmanuel and pronounced him dead on arrival.
The family remains at a loss to explain the source of the “mysterious bullet.” Mr. Eleweke said they learned on Tuesday morning from neighbours that there had been sporadic gunshots in the area on Monday night. “They said that some people were shooting around our area in the night. Whatever they were celebrating that led to my son’s death, we don’t know,” he added.
Mr. Chika Ibeawuchi, a former youth leader in the community, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. While he could not confirm the origin of the gunshots, he noted that they lasted for more than 30 minutes. “This is a tragedy. It has never happened before in this community,” Mr. Ibeawuchi said.
Police officers from the Owerri North Divisional Headquarters reportedly visited the family on Tuesday morning and took the child’s body and father for examination, with the aim of extracting the bullet. Mr. Ibeawuchi has appealed to the police to conduct a “diligent investigation” to uncover the circumstances of the child’s death.
Efforts by local media to get a comment from the state police spokesman were unsuccessful. However, a senior officer at the divisional headquarters, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the incident to NAN and stated that the matter was under investigation.
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