The husband of a female preacher hacked to the death in Abuja has shed more light into the gruesome murder of the 42 year-old mother of seven, Mrs. Eunice Elisha, the wife of a Redeemed Pastor who was murdered in cold blood in the early hour of Saturday July 9th by suspected Muslim fanatics while evangelizing around Gbazango and Pipeline area of Kubwa, a satellite town in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Eunice, who was a deaconess at the Divine Touch Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Old NEPA Road, Phase 4, Kubwa, was reportedly beheaded and stabbed in the stomach and leg by her killers, but a statement by the police has already debunked that claim.
It was learnt that her killers left her in the pool of her blood and carefully put her "severed head on her Bible, with megaphone and cell phone beside her dead body" but the Commissioner of Police in a statement said her body was intact.
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| Late Mrs. Eunice Elisha |
Her death body was discovered by the residents who alerted the police and evacuated her to the police station where her husband went to identify her. The husband of the deceased, Pastor Olawale Elisha while narrating the blow-by-blow account of the incident to journalists when the wife of Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo paid a condolence visit, said that his wife had gone out to preach in the neighbourhood at about 5 am only for him to hear the report of her murder.
According to him, "She goes out every morning for "Morning Cry" (Evangelism), which means when she wakes up in the morning, she takes her megaphone and preaches around the neighborhood.
"On Saturday she went out the same time, around 6:30 am, two of my children used to go out to play football at a field close to the house, but my children came back and told me that they heard some footballers saying that a woman preaching this morning was killed, and her megaphone was still there, that they cut her head and her legs."
"I told my children that it couldn't be their mother, but they insisted we should go there and check, I put on my clothes and went there when we got there, we didn't see anybody, they had even covered her blood with sand."
"However, a policeman confirmed to me that such incident happened, and the remains of the woman had been taken to Phase 4 Police Station, Kubwa.
"I rushed to my house and drove to the police station with two of my children, and at the entrance of the station I saw a pickup van coming out, inside it I saw the lifeless body of my wife at the back of the pickup Van, at this point, my children and I burst into tears."
Pastor Olawale expressed shock over the death of his wife and what might have been the reason for her murder. He said that his wife had no quarrel with anyone that could have warranted her murder, describing her as a martyr.
He recalled a day his wife told him that there is a mosque at the back of their house where the head of the mosque made a remark that her preaching wasn't saying the truth about God. That he cautioned to be very careful.
He also narrated another incident of a Muslim cleric who came to their house and asked his wife to give him food that he had an Islamic school and needed food, but my wife told him that she does not have any food at home, and the Mallam left.
"I told my children that it couldn't be their mother, but they insisted we should go there and check, I put on my clothes and went there when we got there, we didn't see anybody, they had even covered her blood with sand."
"However, a policeman confirmed to me that such incident happened, and the remains of the woman had been taken to Phase 4 Police Station, Kubwa.
"I rushed to my house and drove to the police station with two of my children, and at the entrance of the station I saw a pickup van coming out, inside it I saw the lifeless body of my wife at the back of the pickup Van, at this point, my children and I burst into tears."
Pastor Olawale expressed shock over the death of his wife and what might have been the reason for her murder. He said that his wife had no quarrel with anyone that could have warranted her murder, describing her as a martyr.
He recalled a day his wife told him that there is a mosque at the back of their house where the head of the mosque made a remark that her preaching wasn't saying the truth about God. That he cautioned to be very careful.
He also narrated another incident of a Muslim cleric who came to their house and asked his wife to give him food that he had an Islamic school and needed food, but my wife told him that she does not have any food at home, and the Mallam left.
The story was also corroborated by the second son of the deceased, John James, who said that his mother asked him to tell the strange Mallam that they don't have food.
James revealed further that few days after the Mallam came to their house, his mother and himself took ill and almost died. He said that her mother kept emphasising that the strange Mallam caused their illness.
The wife of the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Folu Adeboye on Sunday also paid a condolence visit to the family of deceased.
During her visit Pastor Elisha said his wife was so committed to anything that is of God and that she was a "reckless giver to God’s work, she rarely missed any program in the church. We have seven children,” he stated.
During her visit Pastor Elisha said his wife was so committed to anything that is of God and that she was a "reckless giver to God’s work, she rarely missed any program in the church. We have seven children,” he stated.
Late Eunice was born on July 23, 1974; her husband stated they got married in July 2000.
The Divisional Police Officer, as well as the Divisional Crime Officer at Phase 4 Police Station, declined comment on the matter the duo referred journalists to the FCT command for any information as they claimed the case had been transferred to homicide department of the FCT Command.
The Divisional Police Officer, as well as the Divisional Crime Officer at Phase 4 Police Station, declined comment on the matter the duo referred journalists to the FCT command for any information as they claimed the case had been transferred to homicide department of the FCT Command.
According to a press release by the Commissioner of Police FCT Command, Alkali Baba Usman the police has ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID)to lead an investigation into the murder case.
Six (6) suspects arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of Mrs. Elisha are in Police custody and currently undergoing interrogation. He assured that the outcome of the investigation would be made public.
The CP commiserated with the family members of the deceased over the unfortunate incident and assured them and other residents of the area of the commitment and determination of the police command to fish out perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to justice.
He also seized the opportunity to enjoin residents and members of the general public to remain calm and cooperate with Police in the ongoing investigation.
The CP's statement dispelled the report in some sections of the media that the deceased’s head and leg was chopped off.
"The Command wants to state that apart from marks of injury inflicted on some parts of her body, all parts of the deceased body are intact. The Police has taken custody of her remains for preservation and examination", the statement concluded.
As at the time of filing this story those scavengers living in shanties near the scene of the incident have fled as many of them were seeing carrying their belongings for fear of arrest by the police or reprisal attacks.
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