Son murders 70-year-old mum

…Says ‘she attacked me first’

From Ngozi Uwujare

According to police sources, the deceased met death at the hands of her son when she insisted that the son pay up his father’s debt. The incident took place at Batagarawa Local Government in Katsina.

Narrating the incident to Sunday Sun, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Hurdi explained that the ugly incident happened on August 5, 2013 when Usman went to visit his mother, who had remarried following her divorce from Usman’s father.

On getting to his mother’s new home, Usman saw his mother quarrelling with her mate and he succeeded in separating the fight.

Later on, the deceased asked Usman if his father (the old husband) sent the money he owed her through him.

Usman instead told his mother that his father never owed her any money; and that he had not visited his father for sometime. From there, the deceased allegedly attacked the son who retaliated by axing the mother’s neck.

Speaking with Sunday Sun, Usman said he had confessed to the crime to the police. A divorcee himself, Usman said he had five children. “I divorced my wife because she loves to look at other men outside.”

Recalling the chilling account, Usman said after separating the fight between his late mother and her mate, that the co-wife had left “to prepare food for us, but my mother refused to eat the food.

“Instead my mother was asking me to pay the debts of my father. I told her that my father didn’t owe her any money. She didn’t take it easy with me. She started to attack me seriously and I went with annoyance and brought out my axe and hit her neck. She fell to the ground.”

Out of fear, Usman ran “to the farm to hide myself so that nobody can see me. Later I came out from the farm and discovered that my mother was actually dead.”

The policemen in Batagarawa subsequently arrested him. According to the police, he has confessed everything at the State CID, while he is being remanded at the Katsina state police headquarters for further interrogations.

CP Hurdi told the reporter that Usman would soon be charged to court to face the full weight of the law.