*The Picture above is for illustration and not related to the incident
Residents of Akwakuma Autonomous Community in the Owerri North Council Area of Imo State are in grief after the murder of a stonemason, Raymond Ihugba, by his wife.
The 50-year-old father of four children was reportedly killed by his wife, Augustina, after a protracted misunderstanding between them.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the remains of the victim had been deposited at the mortuary of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, while the suspect was on the run.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs. Eunice Ihugba, told our correspondent that trouble started between Raymond and Augustina because the latter was always making high financial demand from him despite his lean resources.
Eunice said Raymond repeatedly pleaded with his wife to bear with him, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
She said, “My efforts and those of Augustina’s relations to arrest the ugly situation proved abortive.”
Eunice explained that the matter came to a head when Augustina, who was reportedly armed with acid, attacked her husband on his site in Ubomiri.
“Augustina poured the acid on him, set him ablaze and ran into hiding. Raymond was rushed to the Emergency Ward of the FMC, Owerri, from where he was transferred to the ward 10 of the hospital where he eventually gave up the ghost,” she said.
The teary mother added that the suspect usually stole her husband’s money because of her ostentatious life style.
The traditional ruler of the community, Eze Charles Osuji, who confirmed the incident, described it as an abomination to the community.
The monarch assured that efforts would be made to apprehend the fleeing suspect and bring her to book.
He advised residents of the tension-soaked community to remain calm and allow the police to handle the matter.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, said that he was not aware of the incident. Courtesy: Punch.