Benin City — A 26-year-old young man, Ehigie Omenai who kidnapped two children including his eight-year-old niece, Blessing Omenai, for use in a money-making ritual is now a contrite person. "I feel very sad and ashamed of myself, I pray that God will help me get over this problem so that I will go and win souls for Christ..." Ehigie who claimed to have obtained a diploma in Civil Engineering from the Ambrose Alli Univerisity, Ekpoma, said he had to embark on the failed project since he could not find any means of livelihood, following his inability to travel to Spain through Morroco because he had no money to sponsor the trip.

Palpable fear gripped residents of Irrua in Esan Central Local Government Council of Edo State penultimate Friday when the incident occurred as parents went in search of their children, sensing that ritualists may have invaded the community.

From what Saturday Vanguard gathered, Ehigie had never agreed with Blessing's mother since his elder brother got the woman pregnant. It was said that Ehigie sent the brother's wife packing after the elder brother brought her into the house with the reason that it was not his brother that impregnated the poor woman.

Following his action, Blessing's mother went back to her mother's home and mysteriously died two months ago, leaving the little child with the aged mother. Her death, Saturday Vanguard learnt, was as a result of the harsh treatment meted to her by Ehigie after she developed high blood pressure.

As if the suspect was on a mission to destroy the entire family, he stormed the home of the deceased and abducted the two children she left behind but of different fathers, to use them for money-making ritual.

He tricked five-year-old Clifford and Blessing out of the house with the excuse that he was taking them to a nearby eatery to buy them food. But unfortunately for him, it was not time for the unsuspecting children to go to their early graves as the native doctor who was supposed to perform the rituals for Ehigie's expected money to flow, turned against him and informed the Police, who also came to the native doctor's place, pretending to be clients.

Unknowing to Ehigie, he was made to disclose his mission in the presence of detectives before he was arrested in the act.

The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Peter Ogboi who paraded the suspect to newsmen commended the native doctor, Chief Robert Okoloise who alerted the Police, lamenting that so many ritual cases had been reported to the Police in the past but it had been difficult to apprehend the culprits.

He moralized further: "There is a lesson that we must all learn from here, one, we must not leave our children in the hands of people who are mischievous. We must not allow such mischievous people whether they are our relations or not to be alone with the children. We also want to warn the children, not all that glitters is gold. Look at how he tricked the children from the zone of protection to the zone of death. Children should be very careful of these kind of people, he asserted.

Saturday Vanguard spoke to the suspect, Ehigie Omenai who confessed his sins and asked God to forgive him. Excerpts:

I was once a student of Ambrose Alli University. I got my diploma in Civil Engineering in 2005. I travelled abroad last year but came back early this year when I could not cross from Morocco to Spain. When I came back, I tried to find a job but I could not get a job. I went for a security job but they told me to bring two prominent people to stand as guarantors for me, I searched but I could not find any.

Why rituals?

After searching for job in many places, I could not get any so I decided to pick the two kids, one is a niece but the other one has no blood relationship with me. The one that is my niece is my elder brother's daughter but I decided to use them for money because I was tired of life. But luck ran against me and that was how I was brought here. I have realized that I was born a fool.

How did that idea come into you that you can use people to make money before you can be rich?

I have been watching it in the movies, so I decided to try that system to see whether it will be possible. That was how I entered into this. It's not as if I have the intention in me.

Do you have friends who have done it before and succeeded?

No, I do not have any friend that is a ritualist. My problem is that I do not know how to ride a bike, if not, may be I would have kept myself busy with that. So the only thing I wanted to go into was the security job but it did not work out as expected.

Do you belong to any cult?

No. When I was in school, I was even into the campus fellowship. I was a very good Christian then but after I left school, I left Christianity; maybe that was the reason I got myself into this mess. But I thank God for my life may be the worst thing would have happened to me if the ritual had succeeded.

It seems you have been wanting to make quick money and that was why you tried to travel abroad by road, that move failed, you now decided to use children for rituals?

Not as if it is that way but it is just that I have been trying to find my destiny. But it seems that the way I was arrested now God wanted to teach me a lesson; may be work for Him. I am praying to God to help me out of this situation. I am going to win souls for God, I will be a pastor and work for God.

How do you feel now that your plans have failed?

I feel ashamed of myself. I feel so bad because nobody will want to see me. My father is in Auchi while my mother is in Lagos. My father has heard of what happened but he said they (authorities) should do whatever they want with me (weeping).

So how did you meet the native doctor in the first place?

I was born at Uromi so I have known him for a long time now. It is not as if I know he does such things before; I just went there to find out whether it is possible for me to make money with those children; so he said I should go and bring the children but he later invited the Police.

Why two children at the same time?

Actually, not as if I wanted to use two of them, I wanted to use one but it is just that both of them cannot leave each other, they are very close so I decided to take the two of them. So I was able to get N500 and I tricked them out to buy them food at Mr. Biggs.

Madam Julie Inegbedion, grandmother of the children, lamented the family's ordeal to Saturday Vanguard. Excerpts:

I am the grandmother of the two children and their mother is late. This boy that came to kidnap the children for rituals is the younger brother to Blessing's father.

Last Friday, I went for a village meeting. When I came back, I met him at home and he told me that his brother, Blessing's father, asked him to come and see how his daughter is doing. I now told him that it has been long that I saw your brother. On Saturday, he came back again and met me at home, I now asked him if he has not gone back but he said he was yet to see the person he came to visit at Uromi before going back to Lagos.

So on Sunday, one of the children, Clifford Omobode does not stay with me but he stays with the grandmother of his father but since they are on holidays, he said he wants to come and stay with his sister, that is Blessing, that was how he came to stay with us.

Then on Monday when I was going to the market I wanted to go with my son that stays with me but because Clifford came to see his sister I cannot just leave them alone at home, so I told my son to stay with them and prepare food until I come. I also told my son to take the two children to the church for anointing service and that when I come back from the market I will come and meet them in the church.

But when I returned I went straight to church and sat down and expected my children to come and hug me but I did not see any of them. I now asked somebody sitting beside me whether my children were not in church. They said they did not see them that it was only my son that they saw. I now rushed to my son and asked him where are the children I asked him to take them to church.

He now told me that he has been looking for them but without success so they called him to attend a meeting in the church so he had to go first. So I rushed back home (she paused and started weeping), and went straight to Clifford's grand father's house that brought him to me. I told him that I was looking for them. We rushed to the Police station to report.

This boy that took my grand children for ritual, I remembered that when his brother impregnated my daughter, this boy told his brother not to marry my daughter that it was not only his brother that slept with my daughter. Because of that, his brother refused to marry my daughter and that was how he abandoned my daughter. My daughter wanted to abort the pregnancy but I said no, that God will assist us take care of the child.

So it was that day that my son started telling us that this boy (Ehigie) came to the house that day and said he wanted to take the children out and buy biscuit for them. So I now decided to go and inform Ehigie's father that his son came to my house and went out to buy biscuit with my children and now I cannot find them.

So when I got to Auchi, Ehigie's father now called Blessing's real father on phone whether he was the one that asked his younger brother to go and pick the children. He said no that he did not send him. But suddenly we received a call that the Police have found the children and that we should report at Irrua police station. We rushed down there and met them, that was where they told us that Ehigie kidnapped the children for ritual purpose.

Chief Robert Okoloise, the native doctor that saved the lives of the children

I am the chairman of the traditional medicine body in Esan. About two weeks ago this boy came to me and said that he traveled abroad but he was repatriated and now he has no job. He said he heard that I am the chairman of herbalist doctors in Esan and that there is nothing I cannot do.

I asked him whether he has any ailment, he said no but he has two children he wants to bring for ritual. I was shocked, I could not speak for a while. He asked me what the problem was; I told him no problem. I now requested for the children, he promised to bring them.

Then about five days ago, he came to my house and said he was ready that he will bring the children tomorrow. So after he left, I went straight to the Area Commander's office and reported the matter. They said okay as soon as he is back I should call them. So he came with the children and said let us do it but I said no you go home so that I can consult the spirit world whether their blood will fetch you good money.

He said okay. When he left I took the children to the Area Commander's office, then the Area Commander now asked one inspector to take action. So I told the Area Commander to take his boys to another native doctor's place because I have earlier told him that the ritual will be carried out in another native doctor's place. So the police now took one of their men to the native doctor's place and pretended as if they were consulting the oracle.

When we got there, we met the CID pretending to be playing oracle with the native doctor and I now pretended as if I was neutral. I asked the native doctor in Ehigie's presence who is this man, the native doctor said he is an Igbo man he does not understand our language whereas he is an Esan man. So we started speaking Esan and that was how they arrested Ehigie after he insisted in the presence of the police that the ritual must go on without him knowing that the people there were detectives.