A 23-year-old nurse from Obolo Mbano, Owerri, Imo State, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, recounted the heartbreaking moment her five-year-old son was killed by a youth leader and his armed associates.
“A youth leader came to our compound with men holding guns. While they were trying to drag my husband away, the youth leader ordered them to shoot. They shot my son in the head and my husband’s younger brother in the back,” she said.
The series of tragic events began in November 2024, when Jennifer was kidnapped with her young son.
“I had just bought fufu for my husband when two armed men abducted me. They already had another man with them in the car. When their vehicle broke down, they dragged us into the bush,” Jennifer explained. “In the confusion, my son and I managed to escape, and villagers helped us return home.”
However, tensions between Jennifer’s husband and the youth leader soon escalated.
“The villagers mistakenly thought an innocent man was involved in the kidnapping. My husband tried to stop them from beating him and insisted they hand the man over to the police,” Jennifer continued. “But the youth leader, thinking my husband knew something about the kidnap, grew hostile toward him.”
Despite Jennifer’s efforts to clear up the misunderstanding, the situation worsened,noting, “The youth leader accused my husband of kidnapping a reverend father, but I don’t know anything about it.”
“My husband went to the police to report what happened, but nothing came of it,” Jennifer added.
The dispute reached its peak on December 24 when the youth leader and his men arrived at Jennifer’s compound again.
“They came with guns, and when my husband’s younger brother questioned their actions, the youth leader ordered them to shoot,” Jennifer recalled. “They shot my son in the head, and my husband’s brother in the back. I had to run into the bush to avoid being shot, but I didn’t know my son was still standing at the gate.”
Jennifer’s heartache deepened as her husband, Bright Johnson, a 33-year-old herbalist, remains missing.
“I don’t know how to tell him that our son is dead. He doesn’t even know,” Jennifer said, her voice breaking. “He’s our only child, and he’s gone.”
Though Jennifer reported the incident to the police and the Department of State Security, no arrests have been made, leaving her feeling helpless.
“It seems like powerful people are backing the youth leader. The police aren’t doing enough,” she said. “All I want is for my husband to be released so he can bury our son. I can’t do it alone.”
The root of the conflict lies in a seven-year-long land dispute between Jennifer’s father-in-law and the youth leader’s uncle.
“The youth leader is fighting for his uncle’s land,” Jennifer explained. “This dispute has caused so much pain and tragedy for our family.”
Jennifer’s plea is simple, “The youth leader should be arrested for what he did to my son. He ordered the shooting even though there were children around.”
Jennifer has received sympathy from the president-general of Obolo Mbano, who urged for her husband’s release.
“They should release him so he can bury his son. I’m pregnant and stressed out. I don’t know how much more I can bear,” she said, her voice filled with despair.
In the face of unimaginable loss and uncertainty, Jennifer is calling for justice, hoping that the authorities will intervene to bring an end to the violence that has destroyed her family.
