Man denies killing son, says he wrongly buried him

A 49-year-old man, Christian Eboi, accused of killing his son and burying him, has denied the charge. Speaking with our correspondent at a police station in Benin, Eboi said his only mistake was burying the boy without informing his mother or community members. The suspect allegedly killed his 15-year-old son, Samuel Eboi, with a stick in […]

A 49-year-old man, Christian Eboi, accused of killing his son and burying him, has denied the charge.

Speaking with our correspondent at a police station in Benin, Eboi said his only mistake was burying the boy without informing his mother or community members.

The suspect allegedly killed his 15-year-old son, Samuel Eboi, with a stick in Uhe community in Igueben LGA and buried him before daybreak.

Eboi, a fashion designer, who recently relocated to the village from Lagos, claimed his son might have died from injuries sustained during a mob beating after he allegedly stole at a party.

He said, “I didn’t kill him. My mistake was burying him without telling my community members. It was only when my mother returned from a vigil that I realised I shouldn’t have buried him alone.”

He added that, “I received constant complaints about his stealing. I pleaded with him to stop, but to no avail. On several occasions, I paid for items he stole. I couldn’t even walk freely on the road without being accosted by people asking for compensation for stolen goods.”

According to the suspect, a day before the boy died, he attended a function where he stole several phones and was allegedly caught and beaten to a stupor by a mob.

He said, “On the day he died, I saw him with a high-end phone. I called him into the room, ordered him to kneel and asked where he got the phone from. I only hit him on the leg with a stick twice before my mother asked me to leave him alone. In the process of answering her, he ran out of the room.”

He further stated that when he returned home later that night, his mother informed him that Samuel was crying and complaining of pain all over his body.

He further said, “I went to him and asked what the problem was. It was then he told me he had been beaten the previous day at a function. I told him to be patient and that I would take him to the hospital in the morning. However, when I checked on him at midnight, I discovered he was not breathing. I did all I could, but he didn’t respond.”

Eboi claimed that in the moment of confusion, he decided to bury the boy himself.

He said, “I thought, he is my son, let me bury him because he is a child, and I will explain to the community what happened in the morning. I buried him around 5am.

“I didn’t kill him. I just believed he was my child and I could bury him. I regret it. It was the hand work of the devil. I beg for forgiveness. They should allow me to go and properly bury my son.”