A 23-year-old man, Chiemelie Nnaji, has died in a tragic drowning incident during a spiritual cleansing ritual at Mmiri Ani river in Obiagu, Enugu State.
Chiemelie, who earned a living roasting pork and chicken outside a local motel, reportedly had a history of epilepsy.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the young man was taken to the river by his mother, a spiritualist known as Ezenwanyi, along with a female client, for what she described as a spiritual cleansing.
She believed Chiemelie’s health condition had a supernatural cause rather than a medical one.
During the ritual, Chiemelie reportedly suffered an epileptic seizure and fell into the river.
Shockingly, despite being alerted to the emergency, his mother continued her incantations and failed to assist him.
“It was the client who intervened and raised an alarm, attracting people from the neighbourhood who helped rescue Chiemelie’s body,” a source recounted.
“When we got to the river, we met Ezenwanyi chanting incantations while the other woman was crying helplessly. But we managed to bring him out and took him to the hospital.”
Efforts to save his life were delayed, as two hospitals refused to admit him.
“The two hospitals we took him to rejected him. It was at the third hospital that he was pronounced dead,” another source added.
Following the incident, local police reportedly arrested Ezenwanyi.
However, the Enugu State Police Command has not yet issued an official statement.
Attempts to get a response from the police spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, have so far been unsuccessful, as he has not replied to messages regarding the case.
