…I will always love and forgive my husband, cries wife
The ugly incident that took place last Sunday at Edda village in Ugwuachara, Ebonyi local government area in Ebonyi State has been described by many as black Sunday. This is as a result of the horrific scenario that occurred in a compound, located directly behind Kings and Queen primary and secondary school, along Onwa Ali Onwa street of the State.
The event which took place in the morning hours of the fateful day led to the death of Corporal Anthony Ugwuoke who shot himself after shooting his wife, Mrs. Nkechi, 30, at the neck and shoulder, and his two daughters, Adaeze, 3, and chidinma, 1, on the hand and leg respectively.
When Crime Guard visited the scene of the incident, occupants of the compound had deserted the area for fear of being arrested by the police as only two persons were seen in the compound discussing the ugly episode which took place on August 19,2012.
Speaking with Crime Guard, the wife of the deceased who is presently receiving treatment at the Female Surgical Ward of Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, FETHA, looked visibly confused and wondered why her husband committed suicide by shooting himself on the chest.
The woman, who was still nursing bullet wounds, looked upon God and the medical personnels for the restoration of her health and that of her two children. According to her, she will always love and forgive her husband despite the ugly incident that happened to her.
Recounting her ordeal,she said: “That Sunday, my husband told me that he wanted to go to my place with his friend for condolence visit. After he finished preparing, he told me that he was ready to go and I said okay, when you are coming back, please help me bring one of my sisters, a nine-year-old girl, from the village who will be helping me out with domestic work. After I said this, he got angry and started saying that he was not bringing anybody; that he did not marry me for anybody and that he was not even going to my place anymore. And he insisted that I should pack my things and go. I was surprised because as at that morning, we have not had any quarrel or fight. As he was quarreling, his friend who came to escort him to my place told him that it has not gotten to that and that he should take it easy.
“But my husband insisted that I should pack my things and go. So, based on the advice of his friend, I decided to gradually gather my things including my clothing. Then the friend left the house to go and take care of his family. I had the premonition to tell him to stay in the house but I didn’t.So, by the time he left, I started gathering my things, then my husband told me to only collect my clothes and forget about that of the children. In fact, that I should leave the children with him, if they die let them die. So, as I continued gathering my clothes, my husband came and said that I should select only the ones I bought with my money, and leave behind the ones he bought for me.
“In the process, I don’t know what came over him, he rushed to the door and locked it with key. Before I could realize what was happening, he started beating me and then he brought out a pistol and shot me on the neck and on my shoulders, shot my two daughters and shot himself on the chest.”
Mrs. Nkechi who is from Ikwo local government area of the state advised her fellow women to mind the way they treat their husbands, considering her present predicament and appealed to the State government to come to her rescue by assisting her train the children and pay their hospital bills.
“My advice is that as they have seen my condition and what has happened, they should watch the way they treat their husband. My appeal to the state government is that they should come to my aid to assist me train my children. I will forever forgive my husband; despite what has happened, I still love him.” (starts crying).
One of the neighbors who pleaded anonymity described the wife of the deceased as very quiet and respectable person. She noted that “the wife teaches at the school behind the yard, Kings and Queen’s nursery and primary school. She just came back from the village about a week ago after she left the house about three weeks because the husband beat her up and chased her out of the house, giving her big injury on the eyes.”
Another neighbor who also did not want his name mentioned said the deceased (Mr. Ugwuoke who hails from Nsukka in Enugu State) was possessed with bad spirit. He described him as an arrogant policeman who usually misbehaves and beats up his wife on a regular bases. According to him: “When I returned from church, I noticed that the compound was unusually quiet. Then I met a neighbor who told me what had transpired.
The late corporal has not been a good neighbor; he has always been beating up the wife. At one time, I intervened and I even fought with the man because of this his behavior. I even took the caretaker and one other tenant and we went to police station last October to report the matter to the DPO; that in case the man killed somebody in the yard, none of the tenants should be held responsible.
“The man is like possessed with bad spirit because he doesn’t greet anybody. He doesn’t go to church. It is even recently that we got to know his name despite the fact that he was one of the first tenants that packed into this yard. Also he was in the habit of smoking Indian hemp.”
The Divisional Police Officer,DPO, Kpirikpiri Police Station, Superintendent Sampson Etta who wondered why the late Corporal decided to end his life by committing suicide, noted that he (Ugwuoke) shot his wife at the upper shoulder and at the back of the neck, while his children sustained various degree of injuries at the leg and hand resulting from gun shots.
According to him, the police on receiving information about the gruesome act, rushed to the scene, rescued the wife and children to the Federal Teaching Hospital, FETHA, where they are receiving medical attention.
Etta stressed that there was no need for the occupants residing where the Corporal committed suicide to be on the ran as it was clear that nobody had a hand in his death. He called on them to remain law abiding and go about their businesses.
It should be recalled that on August 19, a police corporal, Mr. Anthony Ugwoke attached to B’ operations in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state and an orderly to a High Court Judge (name withheld) shot himself dead after shooting his 30 year old wife, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwuoke and his two daughters.
Meanwhile, speculations are still rife that the deceased committed the dastardly act under certain level of influence.
The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ebonyi state command, Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, Sylvester Igbo who confirmed the incident, said the body of the deceased had been deposited in the mortuary of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, FETHA.
According to Mr. Igbo, one berretta pistol, expended shells and one live ammunition were recovered from the scene. He said the command had begun full scale investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.
-Vanguard