Spouses Who Kill

After committing themselves to marriage vows, more spouses in Nigeria are increasingly murdering their spouses over domestic issues. In this report, AGBO-PAUL AUGUSTINE and TIMOTHY OPALUWA write on the ugly scenario.

Despite cry for mercy, Ikechukwu Anajekwu kept punching his wife mercilessly until every breath in her was gone. Anajekwu, who is presently cooling his heels at the dark side of Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, Lagos for beating his wife, Obiageli, to death over her inability to bear him children, also accused her of being behind his bad luck which included his arrest for drug trafficking, imprisonment and his misfortunes in life.

However, the deceased’s brother alleged that Mr Anajekwu had turned his late sister into a punching bag shortly after serving his first prison term and it was on one of such beatings on January 19, 2015, that the lady slumped and died.

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Trailing the sad incidence leading to the demise of the late Obiageli, is the painful death of 30-year old Margaret Ibrahim and mother of one. She died in Ado, Karu, Nasarawa State recently over what many have described as an unprecedented human evil by her husband, Adecho Ibrahim, 38, a businessman.

The couple initially enjoyed a good married life, but trouble started when they attempted to have a second baby. The health challenge of Margaret was a growth that health officials said was a fibroid and she kept complaining to Ibrahim for medical attention, which she never got until it was too late.

Ibrahim treated the matter with levity and when nine months passed, Margaret was never delivered of a baby and when persistently complained, Ibrahim, instead of taking his wife for proper medical check-ups, chose to visit quack doctors around his residence until the health condition of his wife became critical after a year of carrying a mysterious pregnancy.

Unfortunately, Margaret collapsed one early morning and was confirmed dead at an Abuja general hospital leaving behind a three-year-old daughter.

Neighbours and friends of the family were enraged with the widower for making his wife go through unbearable pains and death just because of his unwillingness to part with his business money for the sake of his family. Some residents who could not hold back tears while speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend at the wake-keeping of Margaret did not hide their feelings as they openly accused Ibrahim of being the killer of his dear wife.

The case of the Kano-born Wasila Tasi’u, a 15-year old girl accused of killing her 35-year old husband, Umar Sani, and three others with rat poison in April, 2014 is still very fresh in memory. The teenage bride killer was only recently freed by a High Court in Gezawa, near Kano. The trial Judge, Mohammed Yahaya, dismissed the case based on the argument of Tasi’u’s counsel, Hussaina Aliyu who argued that the prosecutors (Kano State government) failed to show Tasi’u’s intent to willingly commit the act. The judge agreed and, accordingly, struck the matter off court records, granting freedom to the teenager.

Tasi’u’s action was said to have been provoked as a result of a forced marriage on her by her family when she was only 14 years old. The incident was another classical case of spouses killing their partners that is now gaining momentum in Nigeria.

Although battering is common in Nigeria, the case of women killing their spouses is relatively new and weird. The Kano teenage bride-incident shocked many across the federation, just as many more have joined the likes of Tasi’u.

In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt that a pregnant woman, Mrs Doris Kayode recently killed her husband over N200. Kayode was alleged to have ended the life of Adamu Kayode by hitting him on the head with an object during a scuffle over N200 meant for buying food.

Recalling what happened that fateful day, the suspect, Mrs Kayode said, “He (the late Adamu Kayode) had the habit of not leaving any money for me to cook for the family, but any time