Wife stabs husband to death

…During quarrel over proposed visit of mother-in-law from village

From TUNDE RAHEEM AkureA young couple’s union has ended tragically in Ondo with the 16-year-old wife stabbing his husband to death during an argument. The murder incident, which occurred last Monday at Omolere/Mobil area of Akure threw the metropolis into shock and disbelief.

The housewife and mother of two, Ebere Ogu stabbed her husband, Chinedu Patrick Ogu, 31, in the stomach during a squabble, which broke out over the proposed visit of the husband’s mother from the village.

The wife, it was learnt, had kicked against her husband’s move to invite his mother to Akure from his village in Imo State. The husband too was said to have insisted that his mother must be in Akure for medical treatment.

It was gathered that co-tenants had been used to the couple’s frequent fights, but Monday’s turned fatal, claiming a life.

Ebere, it was further gathered, abandoned her bleeding husband and ran away with her two kids to an unknown destination after stabbing him in the stomach, leaving the knife stuck in his stomach

A co-tenant who sought for anonymity said he had resolved disagreements involving the couple times on end before the last one that claimed the husband’s life.

According to the co-tenant whose room is next to the couple’s, the husband and wife had been quarrelling over the Patrick’s decision to invite his mother from his village to Akure for medical treatment, but Ebere maintained he would not have his way.

“They had been having issues over the plan by the husband to invite his mother from his village in Imo State to Akure for medical treatment and Ebere kicked against it. I tried to resolve it for three days before the incident that claimed Patrick’s life and I thought the woman had agreed to my pleas but the issue degenerated into violence.

“On this fateful morning when I got into their room I saw Ebere holding a knife against her husband so I pleaded with her to drop the knife and pleaded with the Patrick not to beat his wife.

“At the first attempt I succeeded in separating them so Ebere dropped the knife she was holding but as soon as Patrick saw that his wife had dropped the knife he seized the opportunity to pounce on her and gave her thorough beating and I quickly rushed back from my room when I heard Ebere screaming.

“And before I could enter their room the wife had grabbed the knife again and stabbed the husband and when I entered I was even blaming Patrick for beating the woman again. Then I noticed that Patrick was going down. Before I knew what was going on he had slumped. That was when I rushed out and screamed for help and called other members of the house. “When we entered their apartment we realised that Patrick was already on the floor so people began to urge Ebere to lift her husband up which she eventually did and we saw that the man was already bleeding.

“The people there were shocked and most of them took to their heels which gave Ebere the opportunity to escape with her two kids to an unknown destination.”

The incident, it was gathered, was later reported at the police station while the police and some residents of the area were said to have made futile efforts to track the fleeing wife.

The husband, it was learnt, was rushed to the Ondo State Specialist Hospital where doctors confirmed him dead.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) who confirmed the report, described it as pathetic and unfortunate.

Ogodo said it was the landlord who reported the incident to the police, adding that the police had since stepped into the matter.

He said the policemen dispatched to the scene found the victim dead, saying he died from the knife injury inflicted on him by his wife.