An American woman has lamented over the murder of her son who was killed by her Nigerian ex-lover.
Hayley Kelly, an American woman from Wabash Indianapolis, went in search of love on a dating site in 2008. Her search led her to one Miguel Nchama, a Nigerian guy she said was “a sweet guy”.
They fell in love, dated for two years and had a son they named Nakota, NigeriaAbroad reports.
The relationship “protected by lies” came to an end a few years later. The relationship began to unravel in 2011 when the police came for Nchama. A certain Judson Mbanuzue, a Nigerian in the United States had filed a report alleging Nchama, who was housed by the Mbanuezue family in 2002, stole his ID, obtained a social security number with it, and piled up loans in his name.
Nchama pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft and social security fraud and was jailed for 34 months.
But investigations into the case uncovered more disturbing secrets. The name “Miguel Nchama” was actually one of five fake names used by the culprit whose real name was Ejike Ibe. Going forward, however, he identified as Anthony Dibiah.
“I felt betrayed,” Kelly, the mother of his son, told an American news outlet days ago. “I didn’t trust him anymore.”
Kelly said she still loved him all the same.
From jail, he became “controlling” and “was making demands on what I do and when I do it,” Kelly noted.
She soon got tired and ended the relationship as he was just getting out of jail.
Upon his release, the culprit, who now identifies as Dibiah, became a subject of an immigration stalemate.
America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement sought to deport him but Nigeria technically rejected him as the Nigerian embassy refused to provide ICE with deportation documentation, rendering Dibiah “stateless.”
Though his jail term ended in 2014, he spent more time in prison as the United States didn’t know what to do with him. They finally let him go free.
Dibiah then obtained a court order for visitation rights to be able to see his son Nakota as it appeared Kelly had made efforts to keep the ex-convict away from the boy.
Nakota, then 7, visited his father on weekends and reportedly said he was “afraid” of going over.
Kelly said her son’s father “hit him” and was always “yelling at him”. Kelly filed up to five complaints in five years with the Department of Child Services (DCS).
On the other hand, Dibiah told DCS that Kelly wanted more child support, wanted to cut him off and was in fact the problem.
DCS said it found no evidence in both parents’ claims, so the complaints were ignored.
The custodial battle endured for years.
During one weekend visit to his father, Nakota, 10 at the time of his presumed death on July 18, 2020, reportedly called his mother saying: “Oh I’m dead. Don’t expect me to come back. My dad’s going to kill me.”
He had offended his father and knowing what his father was capable of, he feared for the worst and made the call.
Kelly said Nakota never liked visiting the father but for the court mandating that.
The last visitation was problematic. Kelly had arrived late at the couple’s meeting point, having earlier taken the boy to a football field where he had regular practice. Dibiah was offended and allegedly threatened not to cooperate with her again.
When Nakota got to his father’s house, he called his mother and expressed love, saying he couldn’t wait to see her, Kelly narrated.
Two hours after that call, Dibiah called an unnamed relative.
“I just killed my son,” he told the relative three times before the receiver ended the call and called the police.
The police arrived Dibiah’s house, saw his car outside, noticed movement inside the house, but “didn’t have enough reason” to break in.
Dibiah also called a friend and confessed to killing his son. The friend called the police, who arrived a second time and gained access. Dibiah was already gone by then.
Investigators say they found blood stains, hair, and brain matter in the house. Security camera also captured Dibiah making several trips to the trash, but nothing was found there when police checked.
As all these were unfolding, Kelly got a text message from Dibiah saying: “Sometimes I hear voices. My son is in heaven.”
She was frightened, especially as she could not reach Nakota on phone, and reported the text to law enforcement.
She was unaware of the development with the police at Dibiah’s house and was looking to have Nakota back the next day.
Manhunt began and hours later, police found Dibiah in his car, which also had blood stains. Nakota was nowhere to be found.
The culprit is being held without bail in a Florida county jail on murder charges.
Crime journalist Vic Ryckaert, who tried to speak to him, said he declined to comment, but that his lawyer had sworn to put up “a vigorous defence.”
Some accounts say Dibiah, 37, confessed to suffocating Nakota with a bag.
Police still have no idea what happened to Nakota’s body.
Kelly says she believes Dibiah killed their son to spite her over custodial squabbles.
She said: “He dumped his body somewhere and won’t let me know. I feel like it’s another way of hurting me.”