A 61-year-old man, Moses Nweze, has been arraigned
before an Abakaliki Magistrate Court for allegedly killing his elder brother’s wife.
Nweze was arraigned by the Ebonyi State Police on Monday.
The victim, identified as Mrs Mary Nwomege, was reported to have been killed by the suspect on February 24, 2024.
Counsel to the police, Eze Chinagorom, during the arraignment, informed the court that Nweze had used an axe to strike Mrs Nwomege on the head from behind while she was cooking.
The charge against Nweze, as stated in court records, reads: “That you, Moses Nweze ‘m’, on February 24, 2024, at Edukwu Ndegazu in Ikwo Local Government Area within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, unlawfully caused the death of one Mary Nwomege “f” by hitting her with an iron axe.”
The police added that Nweze had committed an offence punishable under Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Law Cap 33 Vol. 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.
After the charges were read, the Presiding Magistrate, Lilian Ogodo, stated that the court lacked jurisdiction to handle the matter.
Consequently, she remanded Nweze in custody at the Abakaliki Correctional Service and directed that the case file be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for further action.
The victim’s daughter, Chinasa Nwomege, who spoke to a reporter, recounted the harrowing incident, saying that she
heard her mother’s distressed breathing and rushed out to find her uncle striking her mother with an axe.
“I was inside the house when suddenly I heard my mother’s distressed breathing. I rushed out to find my uncle, Moses, striking my mother on the head with an axe. I raised an alarm, and neighbours came to help us rush my mother to the hospital.”
Chinasa expressed the family’s desire for justice for her slain mother.
