...continued from yesterday
From the CCTV footage, it was not difficult for the pastor to pick who the killer was. Even the nanny was called in by the police and she immediately identified the monster. In other words, he was well known to the family. Mrs. Joseph was too shattered to be made to watch any video, but I guess she too would have been able to recognise the assailant.
The policemen encouraged the pastor to put himself together and put a call across to the killer and invite him to come and help him to do something in the church. He obliged and mustered courage and made a call to the guy at the other end. He was asked to put the call on speaker so that others could follow in the conversation. The pastor sounded as calm as ever while the voice at the other end was enthusiastic to hear from him. And the brief discussion went thus:
Pastor Joseph: Hello my boy, how are you doing today?
Voice: I am fine Sir. What of mummy and other members of the family?
Pastor: They are good; we bless God.
Voice: Ok Sir.
Pastor: I don’t know, ehnn, are you so busy this afternoon?
Voice: Not really Sir. Is there something you want me to do for you?
Pastor: Good to hear that. Can you come over to the church now to help me type some mails?
Voice: Yes, Sir. I will be there very soon.
Pastor: Oh, that’s my boy. I am expecting you dear.
Line cuts.
The pastor entered his car while one of the police officers drove and they went to the church. On getting there the pastor went into his office with one of the policemen while the rest waited in the car. In a space of about 10 minutes a young man walked into the premises and went straight to the pastor’s office. You should know what happened there and then. By now another police vehicle had joined them in the church. They drove back to Milimuck Estate where the Josephs live. Back to the house, the CCTV footage was played for the young man the police came back with to watch. He was instructed not say a word but to watch quietly till the end, which he did. At the end of the footage, the senior police officer announced, “young man whatever you say or do here may be used against you in the law court. Shall we proceed to the station please?”
Meanwhile, before they got back to the house Mrs. Joseph had been rushed to the hospital. The whole incident was too much for her to contain. Her elder sister, Dr. (Mrs.) Davies did not want to take chances knowing fully well that Mrs. Joseph was a known hypertension, as well as ulcer patient. So, Dr. Davies arranged for her to be moved to her private clinic for close monitoring and observation, at least for that night. I guess you may be asking within your mind, “who is that young man?” Don’t worry we shall soon find out. But before then let me tell you a little more about the Josephs family.
Pastor and Mrs. Joseph had two children, 20 year old David who is currently doing his NYSC in Rivers State, Nigeria and his 12 year old Bisola who was in JSS 3, in one of the private secondary schools in Lagos state before her gruesome murder. As I said earlier, the Josephs family is a very godly and friendly family. Their two children are just good and also very intelligent. You hardly see them outside unless they are going to the church with their parents. And they don’t even have many friends. They have few selected friends, mostly from their church and a few others from their estate.
Dave has a friend who is a member of their church music group. Both of them went to the same school from their primary to secondary school. But they separated when they were about to enter the university. Dave did a 4-year course in the university while his friend went in for engineering, which was a 5-year programme. Hence, Dave graduated before his friend and went to serve. Meanwhile, when Dave came home after his NYSC orientation camp, he discovered that his friend had been at home for some weeks. When he asked him what he was doing at home he told him that there was a practical course he was sent to do in one of the firms in Lagos before coming back to finish his final year. And Dave believed him.
Dave and his friend were always together during the holidays. That was about the only friend he was allowed to visit from time to time. Both families became good friends because of the two boys. This guy was like a second son to the Josephs. When Pastor Joseph traveled to the UK for a programme he made sure that he bought the same kind of wears for his son and the friend. Everybody in Pastor Joseph’s home loved this boy and even treated him as one of them. If he came to the house and wanted to eat, even if the family had finished eating the nanny would be asked to get him something to eat. On several occasions he had spent not just a night but nights and days with the Josephs. To say that they were close may be an understatement but let us just leave it there.
It was barely five days after Dave went back to his place of service that his only sister, Bisola was gruesomely murdered. Bisola was at home that fateful day because their school was on mid-term break. Her mum went to work while her dad went for a programme in the church. The nanny had gone to Mile 12 market to buy some food items that morning. I guess you are beginning to pick the pieces together as to unravel who killed Bisola. But before we finally name the dog, I want to ask you some questions.
- What do you know about your child’s best friend?
- Do you know that even the most trusted friend can be used by the devil to give your family a deadly blow?
- Are you sure the people you call your family friends share the same values with your own family? Are you sure they teach their own children same things you teach yours? What of their religious beliefs and practices, because I have come to understand that some families believe one thing and practice another?
- When you are talking to your children and educating them on the issues of life, do you make it a point of duty to include their friends in the teachings?
- When was the last time you checked the call log and chats/messages on your child’s phone?
- Have you ever thought of organising an in-house training/discussion on basic life issues like sexuality, friendship, academic excellence, and the likes for your children and their friends? Even if you cannot handle it by yourself you can get some people who are good in such areas to help you.
- Do you agree with me that your own children are not safe until every other child out there is safe?
- Do you, from time to time, find out the state of the relationship between your children and their close friends?
- Apart from your children, who are the other friends kept by their close friends? This is because the friend of our friend is also our friend.
- Do you know that the fact that you are a child of God does not make your family totally immune to some of the pains other families are passing through?
- Do you know that you may be sincerely wrong to trust some unproven friends?
- Is there any reason under heaven why you should allow your daughter to be very close and relaxed with a young man without any measure of fear or suspicion?
- Are you aware that sexual hormones do not know who is a sibling or a friend?
- Do you know that at times boys can use their association with your son to get at your girls and vice versa?
- Am I wrong to say that none of my children should entertain their friends inside their room? Every friend must stay and be entertained in the living room, irrespective of who they are.
- Am I also wrong to say that I do not allow their friends to sleep-over in my home unless I am fully persuaded about who I am relating with, down to knowing the family and their value system?
- Who are your own friends?
- What is the testimony of people in your area about your family?
Please forgive me for throwing this number of questions to you at the same time. By the way, I still have many questions to ask but I just remembered that we are still looking for Bisola’s murderer. At the police station, the police quizzed the young man they picked from Pastor Joseph’s house.
Officer: What is your name?
Young man: (in a muffled voice) Edward
Officer: Edward who?
Young man: Edward Megida.
Officer: Edward, did you recognize the man in the CCTV footage you watched before we left Pastor Joseph’s house?
Edward: Ye-ye-yes sir.
Officer: Who was that?
Edward (stammering the more) I – I – I am the one. But sir it was the devil’s work (crying now).
Officer: (mockingly) you wrote an application letter to the devil and he employed you without pay but we are going to pay you here. This will be a good lesson other devil’s employee like you. Now tell me, why did you kill that innocent girl?
Edward: Sir I, I, it was the devil.
Another officer: (kicking him from behind) come on speak out before I destroy you now! criminal like you!
Officer: My guy stop this your Crocodile tears and just tell us everything you know about the death of that girl. And you better talk now before our oga comes here ooo! If you cooperate with us, we may even do something for you before or when he comes.
Edward: Sir I didn’t want to kill her, but I was afraid that she might tell her family what I did to her.
Officer: What did you do to her?
Edward: I, I raped her.
Officer: (sounding amused) are you sure we will not collect that your dick from you so that it will not land you into trouble again? By the way, how did you gain entrance into the house? Was the door not locked?
Edward: Bisola opened the door for me but the gate was open when I came.
Officer: Why did she open the door for you? What did you use to threaten her?
Edward: I did not threaten her at all. She just opened the door for me?
Officer: Why?
Edward still has a lot of revelations and confessions to make, he may even have some accomplice(s) within or outside the Josephs family. Let’s cap it up tomorrow with those revelations. I am still your friend.
©Ijeoma Igwesi, 2020 @familymattersng.com
Please note that the opinion expressed by the writer in this article does not reflect the position of the publishers of www.newsbitsng.com
