Cardinal Okpaleke buries three murdered siblings in Anambra
By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
It was all wailing and crying as three siblings allegedly murdered and inserted into a refrigerator on 1st February 2025 at their Nnewi residence, Anambra state, by yet to be identified assailants, were weekend committed to mother earth by the Catholic Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese, Ebere Cardinal Okpaleke,
The siblings, Ejezie Chikaima Daviana, Female, aged 10, Ejezie Dominica Chimziterem, aged 8, and Ejezie Chimdirim David , male, aged 5, were buried in their Umueze Uga country home, Aguata Local Government Area, shortly after a preceded special mass service in their honour, conducted by the Cardinal..
Mourners and sympathisers turned up in their large number wailing, crying, placing curses on the assailants and praying God to fish out the culprits to face the wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to would be future murderers even as they described the death of the siblings as the height of wickedness.
Cardinal Okpalaeke had in his homily at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Umueze Uga, said that the wicked would not go unpunished stating that the souls of the innocent siblings will not give the assailants peace and urged the bereaved parents, Mr and Mrs Samuel Ejezie, to take heart for God in His infinite mercy, will give them the heart with which to bear the irreparable loss.
“God who fights for the defenceless will fight for the family, do not lose hope. God sees in both light and darkness, for sword of war will not end in the life of the assailants,” the Cardinal affirmed.
The Eldest of the family, (Ononobi) Nze Livinus Ejezie, (a k.a, Ogbuehiukwu), proclaimed “I have been hearing this but don’t know it does happen, and eventually happened in my own house. These children died in agony,” he cried.
“I thank my sister inlaw, who took my younger brother’s wife to her house immediately these children were sighted dead in the fridge so that she would not die also because the husband lives in Irrua, Edo State.
“Also the DPO Nnewi Central police station delayed the burial ceremony because he vowed to continue the investigation to see to its end, otherwise we would have performed the burial before now.
” They have not told us anything about the result of the autopsy they carried out., Let the government do whatever they deem fit,” he further said.
‘Cursing the perpetrators of the heinous crime, he said “The person who committed this, if it is a right thing, let it follow him, let God judge, we are not quarreling with anybody, let their blood cry unto the Lord, let God suffer the person as He wishes.
“My words of consolation to my younger brother and wife is that if God is not aware of this, it would not have happened, God would console us, he would provide another children that would replace these ones. I thank God that one of them remains, if he was around, either he joined them or rescued them,” he cried.
The President General, PG, of the community, Chief Romanus Ibekwe while expressing shock said that it was very unfortunate that such tragedy happened to Uga Community stating, “We console the family and we pray that such thing would never happen anywhere again”.
Elder sister to the bereaved man, Mrs Ukamaka Anekwe, while crying, cursed the murderer saying “Anybody that has his hands on this would never have peace in this life. See what somebody did to his fellow human beings, this is how he would be buring his family, the world would be too hot for him,”She cried.
In his own reaction, elder brother to the bereaved man, Evaristus Ejezie, who is the chairman of Iron Dealers Union, Nteje, described the death of the siblings as man’s inhumanity to man and prayed God to take control of the entire situation.
“I was dumb founded and devastated when I first heard of the ugly incident and my prayer is that God will give us the heart with which to bear the loss,” he prayed.
Pic shows 3 coffins of the siblings during the burial
Pic 11 Shows the bereaved family and the only surviving son on white
Pic 111 Shows Cardinal Okpalaeke at the Mass
