By The9jaTREND
Mr. Lucky Onye, father of the 10-year-old boy, Master Gerald Onye who was reportedly dead after falling from the stairs of the Church of God Mission International on Airport Road Headquarters in Benin City, Edo State capital is demanding for justice over the circumstances surrounding his son’s death at a church where the family had worshipped for years.
The tragedy which happened on May 24, 2026 at the Church started like every other Sunday, but ended in tragedy as the family was confronted with the death of their son.
According to the father, his wife had not been feeling fine and had not attended church services for about two weeks before the incident. However, she decided to take their four children to church on that particular Sunday.
He said the family had been worshipping at the Church of God Mission for the past four years, while their children also attend the church owned Word of Faith Group of Schools.
He explained that after arriving at the church, the children were taken to the children’s section as usual, while their mother went into the main church auditorium.
“On that 24th of May, the children went to the church with their mother. Ordinarily, I use to go to the church with them, but I didn’t go with them and their mother has not been in church for like two weeks because she has not been feeling fine for like two weeks.
“The information we heard is that the child fell from the stairs. There was no announcement made to inform the mother, so that the child can be taken to a better hospital. I think there are two hospitals there, Mother and Child and the Refill Hospital. The security person took him there without informing the mother of the child.
“So, when she came back and told me, I asked her where the child was. She said they were administering drugs on him. When I got to the hospital and saw the doctor, I asked him, what do we do? He said he will carry out an x-ray the next day, which will be Monday.”
The grieving father said he was surprised that an immediate x-ray was not conducted despite the condition of his son.
“I looked at the boy, you could not even recognize him, some of his teeth were missing, his body was swollen. I asked why the x-ray would not be done immediately. The doctor said the hospital where they will do the x-ray has closed for the day.
“The doctor convinced me that the child will be okay, that he just needed pain relief drugs. But the next morning, when I got there, I found out the boy’s stomach was swollen up and he was on oxygen. We had to make arrangements to take him to Specialist Hospital, but before we got there, he had passed on.”
Mr. Onye further alleged that he discovered, while trying to obtain the death certificate, that the hospital where his son was taken belonged to an elder of the church.
“It was when we went to the hospital to get the death certificate that I found out that the hospital belongs to an elder in the church, and the doctor said he is not giving me the certificate, that the case is with my lawyer.”
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the silence of the church leadership since the incident.
“Till now, I have not received a call from the head pastor, no call from the owner of the church, nobody is talking to us, nobody is telling us anything. He was attending the Word of Faith Group of Schools.
“They are the owner of Faith Mediplex Teaching Hospital. Why didn’t they take the child to Faith Mediplex Teaching Hospital? From the church to their hospital is not more than four minutes. Why did they take my son to that hospital? They separated this child from his mother and they can’t take full responsibility.
“Church of God Mission has put me in pain, and no answer.”
Speaking, Pastor Precious Ighile, of the Media and Publicity Department of the Church of God Mission said she was not aware of the full details of what happened, but that the father of the deceased boy brought a lawyer and the church lawyers are discussing with them.
“I don’t know the details, but I know that the father of the boy came with a lawyer and the church lawyers are
talking with them.”