Man Stabs Pregnant Wife To Death, Sets Self And House Ablaze In Abuja

Federal Capital Territory police command, Abuja, has commenced investigation into the death of a 40-year-old pregnant woman identified as Chinyere Ifemaobi who was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband, Uchenna Ifemaobi on November 17, 2015. It was alleged that Uchenna in an attempt to cover up his crime set their apart­ment at Kurudu Jik- way, on fire but was badly burnt and he died days after.

As providence will have it, their four-year-old daughter, Uchenna, who was in the apartment at the time of the inci­dent, was rescued by neighbours.

Saturday Sun learnt that the couple, who were both indi­genes of Umuebo village in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, have been at each other’s throat; quarrelling and fighting at any slightest provocation. Confirming the in­cident, FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu told Saturday Sun that Chinyere was confirmed dead at Asokoro Hospital Abuja while her husband who was badly burnt died days later at the National Hospital Abuja.

He explained that in the course of investigation, it was dis­covered that on the day of the incident, the couple had a fight in the early hours of the fateful day. “In the heat of the rage, Uchenna allegedly stabbed his wife severally on the waist. As soon as he realised his mistakes, he allegedly decided to set the house ablaze. Unfortunately, his daughter, who was woken up by the commotion, narrated to the police how she saw her father spraying fuel and setting the house on fire. She also claimed to have seen her father kill her mother before setting the house on fire.

“However, before Uchenna died, he told policemen from the command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that the fire could have started from their generator which was left on the whole night. He insisted that by the time, he noticed the fire, his wife was badly burnt. He could only manage to rescue his daughter but couldn’t help his wife be­cause she was already dead”, the police chief stated.

CP Wilson stated that knife with blood stain was recovered under their matrimonial bed where it was hidden, adding: “The corpse has been deposited in the mortuary while inves­tigation continues.”

When we visited their home, neighbours said that it is no news that the couple quarrel every day. “We are tired of settling their quarrels. One of the major reasons they normally fight has to do with the obvious fact that the late Chinyere was richer than her husband. She was a successful petty trader while the late Uchenna was a taxi driver. Elders from their village have intervened severally, we are not sur­prised that it ended this way,” their neighbour, who prefers to be anonymous, said.

The neighbours further explained that the whole neigh­bourhood was woken by the screams coming from their house at about 5am. They initially ignored it since they were always known to fight and scream on top of their voices. They, however, became alarmed when they suddenly saw that that the house was on fire. “We could only rescue their daughter alive while Uchenna was badly burnt. We also dis­covered that Chinyere was already dead. Oga Uchenna, be­fore he died in the hospital, said that it was the generator that caused the fire. We are confused because his daughter, who is very smart, claims that she saw them fighting. She also said that her father stabbed her mother before setting the house ablaze,” the neighbour further narrated.

Although both died, the family of the late Chinyere insists that an autopsy be conducted while the family of Uchenna prefers to bury the dead since the only suspect in the crime was also dead. Meanwhile, their little daughter has been handed over to her grandparents.

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