Man Kills Wife in the Presence of His 11 Year-old Son… Says he had “Mental Problems”

The last time the Nigerian media was agog with news of a man who had allegedly butchered his wife, it was greeted with a loud public outcry.

When pictures of her lifeless and dismembered body hit the internet, it generated a slew of human right actions, walks and advocacy against domestic abuse.

It was a gruesome sight. Deep knife cuts, blood all over, her gorging eyes… it was all too much too bear. In fact, it won’t be out of place to say that Nigerians have not yet recovered from the shock of Titi Arowolo’s death.

And now, a year later, another case of a wife killer has been uncovered in Enugu state. Graphic pictures of her lifeless body showing deep cuts with blood oozing out have circulated over the internet stirring another outcry.

The Enugu State Police Command, on Thursday September 6th, 2012 paraded Sunday Eze for allegedly butchering his wife with a machete in Nsukka, Enugu State.

Another sad twist to this story is that he performed the dastardly act in the presence of his 11 year-old son, Onyebuchi Eze.. The boy, a primary five student, also sustained a deep machete cut in his hand while trying to prevent his father from taking his mother’s life.

However, it is being reported that the man had some mental issues which might have led him to commit the act.

“My father has a mental problem and exhibits it at times. He regrets certain actions he takes, when it is too late.

“On the fateful night, he had a quarrel with my mother over a small issue and my father reached out for his machete and started dealing cuts on my mother. I tried to stop him, but could not. So, he cut mummy all over her body, head, leg, hand and everywhere.

“I was very afraid but daddy took me along after he finished and we hid in the farmland near our house.

“After some time in the bush, he told me to run to his senior brother’s house and tell him what happened,” the boy told SUN News.

Police said the suspect escaped into the bush but was later caught after a community search party looked for him for over 30 hours. The leader of the search party also said that the suspect attempted to commit suicide with a screwdriver which inflicted a deep cut in his throat.

The suspect however claimed that his wife was responsible for his mental problem which causes him to have internal heat at intervals.

It is really sad what this family has gone through and it’s hard to make sense of it. Did he have mental issues or not? Would that justify his act in any way? Several questions arise…

But as a human rights activist noted, women who see subtle signs of domestic abuse which often precede such acts shouldn’t hesitate to get necessary help or walk away from such relationships.

It is a dicey one. Have you seen the said pictures online? What is your take?