Tragedy in Anambra as man strangles newly wedded pregnant wife to death

Late Ebere and her killer husband, Obiora

The entire village of Ezi-Ogwugwu Community in Otolo Nnewi, in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State has been thrown into mourning following the alleged killing of a newly woman in the village by her own husband.

The man, one Mr. Ikechukwu Obiora was said to have hacked his wife, Mrs Ebere Obiora (Nee Uzuegbunam), to death by strangling, over a minor disagreement.

Ebere, 32, was said to be about four months pregnant when she was strangled to death by her husband, barely six months after they got married.

It was a heart-rending scene at the Nnewi Diocesan Hospital (Akwudo) as the members of Mr. Nathaniel Uzuegbunam’s family of Obiuno Community in Otolo Nnewi gathered to behold the corpse of their beloved daughter.

According to source close to the family, the couple got married in August 2022, and were expecting their first child before the incident happened. The source further opined that the couple had been having periodic domestic violence and family problems, unknown to the family of the wife.

It was gathered that the family members of the deceased, on Thursday, March 2, 2023, received a call from their in-law (the mother of her daughter’s husband) at about 7.pm, informing them that their daughter had just slumped and appeared to be dead. The shocking news made them rush to their in-law’s residence at Ezi-Ogwugwu, Otolo Nnewi.

Upon reaching there, they were informed that their daughter had been rushed to the Nnewi Diocesan Hospital at Akwudo, where they also drove to immediately.

The family members received the most shocking news when they got to the hospital, as the doctor on duty, declared their daughter dead after examining her body.

The doctor’s report, however, seemed unbelievable to them, which made them rush her to another hospital, St. Felix Okolo Hospital, Nnewi, where it was also confirmed to them by the doctor on duty, that their daughter had passed on. And they returned to the Diocesan Hospital, Akwudo, to deposit her corpse.

It was further learned that the bereaved family found it difficult to believe that their daughter just slumped and died instantly for no just reason. 

Their doubt was further reinforced by the texture of their daughter’s corpse as well as the fact that half of the deceased’s tongue stuck out of her mouth. 

They therefore demanded further explanation as to what actually happened to her. They also wondered why her husband was not seen anywhere around the hospital throughout the entire incident, and further wondered why it was his mother that called them to inform them of what was happening, instead of he as the husband.

Consequent upon these, the husband of the deceased, Mr. Obiora, was immediately summoned to give detailed explanation.

It was further learned  that, upon interrogation, the suspect initially insisted on the claim that his wife just slumped and died, but could not give any reasonable and convincing explanation to substantiate his claims.

When asked why he did not call his in-laws to inform them when the incident happened, and why he did not show up throughout the entire rush and efforts to save her life after the said slump, the suspect could not give any cogent excuse, a development that prompted his immediate arrest by the operatives of the Otolo Nnewi Divisional Headquarters.

However, when further interrogated by the police and the bereaved family who threatened to carry out an autopsy on their daughter’s corpse to unravel the circumstances surrounding her obviously suspicious death; Mr. Obiora finally confessed to the crime and revealed that it was he who actually strangled the wife to death.

Asked why, the suspect, who narrated how he committed the homicide, said it was as a result of domestic violence between him and the wife.

He narrated that he came back in the morning of March 2, 2023, and was knocking at the gate, but his wife (who was actually bathing at the time) did not open the gate immediately, which made him to start scolding at her out of anger.

He confessed that while he was scolding at his pregnant wife, he also started slapping and hitting her, right from the gate into the house, till he angrily grabbed her on the neck and strangled her to death.

Mr. Obiora said he was so shocked when he saw what happened, as he never expected the wife to die. 

He said he confided in few persons and sought advice on what to do, after which he eventually abandoned the corpse and left out of fear and confusion, as he did not know what next to do, until evening when his mother reached out to his wife’s family members.

As at the time of filing this report, the suspect is still detained in the police custody, while the police authority had assured that he would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigation into the matter.

Photo credit: Nnew City

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