News
Gov. Otti’s wife laments as man plucks out wife’s eyes for rituals
It was learnt that the man, Lawrence Uzor, an aluminium worker from Umuchieze in Bende Local Government Area but living at Adiele Estate in Umueze Ibeku in Umuahia North had, at about 1 am, used a knife to remove her wife’s eyes as she was asleep.
According to the couple’s landlady, Madam Lovejane Nwaiwu, who was also admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, whose husband is working and living elsewhere and who was also inflicted with injuries at the hand and mouth by the man, told our correspondent that, “About 10 pm on Saturday, I heard the man shouting ‘Odogwu, Odogwu (mighty, mighty)’. I was worried as I had not heard the man and his wife, Amarachi Lawrence, praying like that.
“I started praying for them. After that, I couldn’t sleep until about 12 am and was restless. At about 1 am, the wife, who is a teacher with one of the foremost private schools in Umuahia and aged 38 years, started shouting, ‘Mummy, I have been killed’. I opened my door, came out, peeped through their bedroom window and saw the man pressed down on the wife with a knife in his hands.
“I started pushing on people’s gates and calling out to the Umueze people, but nobody came out or responded. After all attempts to call neighbours to come and nobody answered me, I went to their parlour door and started knocking. Suddenly, he opened the door while holding the knife and tried giving me cuts on the head but I defended my head with my hand. He cut me on the hand and further slashed the knife at my face which incidentally cut me at the mouth. Some of my upper teeth came out.
“I ran into my house and locked the door, while he ran outside, locked our gate and went to a neighbour’s house to tell them that he had killed his wife and his landlord’s wife. While inside my room, I called my mother and my daughter, who then called a church neighbour and the community vigilance team who rushed to the neighbour’s house and apprehended him.”
Speaking at the Federal Medical Centre, where the victims are being treated, Mrs Otti said she was deeply saddened by the case just a few days after signing the compact agreement with the UNFPA on gender-based violence, stating, “This is a terrible case of violence, attempted murder and violence”, adding that she would take immediate action to ensure Mrs Lawrence was well and protected.
Mrs Otti further assured the state that she would ensure further GBV response front desk and team took proper actions and commended the Umueze Ibeku community over their response and support to the issue. The Abia First Lady also donated cash for the treatment and upkeep of the victims.
Earlier in his response, the Medical Director of the FMC, Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, who was represented by the Director, Medical Services, Mrs Aisha Onyemaobi, explained to Mrs Otti that reports indicated that the main victim, Mrs. Lawrence, (38 years old) was deeply asleep when the husband woke her up and started cutting her, adding, “There was an attempt to gouge out her eyes and she had genital mutilation”, while the suspect is in custody.
Onyemaobi further disclosed that good progress in her recovery was expected.
The victim’s sister, Ijeoma Okpokiri and her cousin, Chioma Okpokiri, both from Emede Ibeku, pleaded with the Inspector General of Police and the government at all levels, particularly the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to look into the matter and to also help their sister to recover. (The PUNCH)
At least 286 inmates have reportedly escaped from the Maiduguri medium security custodial centre following severe flooding in the capital city on Tuesday.
Already, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is in Maiduguri to assess the flood’s impact on the facility.
Nevertheless, a statement from the spokesman for the service, Umar Abubakar disclosed that the federal government is working to evacuate the correctional centre.
Umar assured the public that the service is working with sister security agencies to take the necessary measures to ensure public safety.
The Federal Government has also begun the evacuation of residents of the affected communities in the flooding that has ravaged North-Eastern city.
A statement by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Tuesday, said it is also working on the provision of food, shelter and medical assistance for the victims.
The unfortunate flooding situation in the Maiduguri metropolis of Borno State, which started last weekend and increased in the early hours of Monday, 9th September 2024, resulted from excess water from the Alau Dam.
One of the spillways of Alau Dam collapsed, leading to a significant increase in water flow downstream and exacerbating the flooding in surrounding areas.
The areas impacted by the incident include Shehuri, parts of the Government Residential Area (G.R.A.), Gambomi, Budum, Bulabulin, Adamkolo, Millionaires Quarters, Monday Market and Gwange.
As a result, NEMA said the Borno State Government has opened up Bakassi Camp to accommodate those displaced by the flood.
“We are working, alongside the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, in providing humanitarian assistance to the distressed in the camp,” the statement read partly.
NEMA’s response came after President Tinubu ordered the Agency to immediately swing into action, and assist the flood victims.
Unprecedented incident
NEMA has described Tuesday’s flash flood in Maiduguri as an unprecedented incident.
“It is an unprecedented incident,” NEMA spokesman Ezekiel Manzo told AFP on Tuesday. “Some of the central parts of the city that have not witnessed flood in so many years are witnessing it today.”
Thousands of homes have been submerged by the rapid rise of waters after the rupture of the Alau dam on the Ngadda River, 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Maiduguri.
“The last three days have over 150,000 individuals with over 23,000 households affected,” said NEMA zonal coordinator Surajo Garba.
But with more locations being hit, “we are sure the figure will be much over 200,000 individuals,” Garba forecast.
“The flood, which began over the weekend and worsened in the following days, was the direct result of excess water from the Alau Dam,” said Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who hails from Maiduguri as he visited the area.
“The collapse of the spillways unleashed a significant surge of water downstream, causing widespread flooding in the surrounding communities,” added Shettima.
The flood also inundated the city’s post office and main zoo, with authorities warning that “deadly animals has been washed away into our communities (sic).”
Social media showed pictures of an ostrich, which had supposedly escaped from the facility wandering the streets of the city.
The Anambra State Government through the state Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare, has ordered a probe into the case of the alleged murder of one Mrs. Ogechukwu Okafor, who was allegedly killed by her husband, Mr Elijah.
It was gathered that the incident happened on August 13, 2024, but was reported to the ministry by the deceased family, following suspicious moves from the husband.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued on Wednesday by the media aide to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Chidimma Ikeanyionwu.
According to Ikeanyionwu, the culprit who is said to be a pastor, committed the alleged incident in Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
The statement read In part, “The deceased uncle, Mr Samuel Onuorah, from Abatete community, who led the family member to lay the complaint at the ministry, alleged that he got a call from her late niece’s husband that her niece, Ogechukwu, fell from four-storey building and died.
“Mr Elijah Emeka Ibeabuchi, who hails from Nimo in Njikoka Local Government Area of the Anambra State, is the husband to the late Ogechukwu Okafor.
“Seeking for justice at the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, the uncle of the deceased, Mr Onuorah, noted that they discovered that their daughter did not fall as claimed by the husband, but was rather killed with a knife, stabbed on her neck and chest by Elijah.
“He further revealed that their doubts were cleared after they went to the mortuary where the said husband had deposited their daughter’s corpse and saw evidently that she didn’t fall from any storey building as claimed by the husband.”
Responding to the development, the commissioner, Ify Obinabo, called on all stakeholders, women groups, human rights activists, and social media users to support the state government in ensuring that the deceased gets justice.
Obinabo vows that the state government would probe the incident while urging everyone to lend their voice on the matter.
She added that she would also notify the state governor and the matter will be taken up so that the deceased will get justice.
PUNCH
A 25-year-old woman, Zainab Musa, on Wednesday, returned the N100,000 dowry she received from her husband, Musa Sani, in exchange for a divorce at Rigasa Shari’a Court, Kaduna.
The woman had earlier prayed that the court should dissolve her two-year-old marriage through the Khul’i (redemption), an Islamic ruling that gives a woman the right to redeem herself from marriage.
Mr M.S Aliyu, who stood as neutral counsel to the parties, said all efforts to reconcile the couple through their parents proved abortive.
He said “the parents of the couple have agreed that the N100,000 dowry paid during the wedding be returned, and we have the money in cash.
“As for the one child they have, Zainab’s parents will accept any amount the defendant can afford as upkeep allowance.”
On his part, the husband said he still loves his wife but has no choice than to let her go since she is no longer interested in the marriage, adding
that he has accepted the N100,000 dowry.
The Judge, Malam Mukhtar Aliyu, confirmed the dissolution of the marriage through Khul’i, adding that the complaint should start observing her iddah immediately.
Agency report said that Iddah is a waiting period that a Muslim woman observes after the death of her husband or after a divorce.
The waiting period for a divorced woman is three menstrual circle, as one of its main purposes is to remove any doubt as to the paternity of a child born after the divorce or death of the prior husband.
The judge, thereafter, said “anyone that is not satisfied with the judgment can appeal within 30 days.”
Flood: Over 200 inmates escape from Borno Correctional Centre
After stabbing wife to death, Pastor told in-laws she fell from 4-storey building
Woman seeking divorce returns N100,000 dowry
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