Cases of domestic violence in different parts of the country in 2017 and between January and September, a total of 852 of such cases were recorded in Lagos State alone. TOLUWANI ENIOLA reviews some prominent ones
Shomzy:
Not many Nigerians will forget in a hurry the tragic story of an airwoman, Solape Oladipupo, aka Shomzy Shomzy, killed by her lover, airman Kalu Bernard in March.
Kalu purportedly killed Oladipupo at her Corporal and Below Quarters, Compound 9, Air Force Base, Makurdi, Benue State on the suspicion that she was having a romantic affair with another man.
He was reported to have shot Oladipupo in the neck at close range. Oladipupo, 21, was rushed to the NAF Hospital at the base and later transferred to the state hospital, where she eventually died.
The aircraft man, who met the lady at a parade ground some months before the incident, had afterwards left a suicide note, threatening to kill himself, before he was arrested by the the NAF. Amidst tears, Oladipupo, who hailed from Ijebu-Ode, was buried at the Air Force Cemetery, Ojo Barracks, Ojo, Lagos State on March 23.
Justice seemed to have been served as the Nigerian Air Force sentenced Kalu to death in August for the crime.
Kalu purportedly killed Oladipupo at her Corporal and Below Quarters, Compound 9, Air Force Base, Makurdi, Benue State on the suspicion that she was having a romantic affair with another man.
He was reported to have shot Oladipupo in the neck at close range. Oladipupo, 21, was rushed to the NAF Hospital at the base and later transferred to the state hospital, where she eventually died.
The aircraft man, who met the lady at a parade ground some months before the incident, had afterwards left a suicide note, threatening to kill himself, before he was arrested by the the NAF. Amidst tears, Oladipupo, who hailed from Ijebu-Ode, was buried at the Air Force Cemetery, Ojo Barracks, Ojo, Lagos State on March 23.
Justice seemed to have been served as the Nigerian Air Force sentenced Kalu to death in August for the crime.
Maureen:
Last month, a bank worker, Mr. Olaoluwa Adejo, was arrested by the police in Lagos for killing his 28-year-old wife, Maureen at their home on Peluola Street, in the Bariga area of the state.
The 32-year-old Lagos indigene was accused of beating his wife of five years with a belt, as well as injuring her with a machete.
The couple’s five-year-old son, Richard, who reportedly witnessed the violence, said his father also forced a local insecticide, ‘otapiapia’, down the throat of his mother.
But the 83-year-old mother of the suspect, Florence Adejo, denied that her son murdered Maureen.
The 32-year-old Lagos indigene was accused of beating his wife of five years with a belt, as well as injuring her with a machete.
The couple’s five-year-old son, Richard, who reportedly witnessed the violence, said his father also forced a local insecticide, ‘otapiapia’, down the throat of his mother.
But the 83-year-old mother of the suspect, Florence Adejo, denied that her son murdered Maureen.
She said her son came to her house on the night of the incident, fell on the ground and started weeping that his wife had destroyed him by consuming a local insecticide.
Lowo:
The issue of domestic violence is not gender specific. The case of a female lawyer, Yewande Oyediran, who recently bagged seven years in jail for killing her husband, Lowo, attests to this.
In November, justice came for Lowo when Oyediran was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by Justice Muntar Abimbola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
She was jailed for manslaughter. Before the murder, Oyediran worked with the Department of Public Prosecutions in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice.
She was accused of killing her husband with a knife after a disagreement on February 2, 2016, at their residence in the Akobo area of Ibadan. Oyediran reportedly accused her France-based husband of infidelity.
Bilyamin: On November 18, grief gripped the family of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Haliru Bello.
In November, justice came for Lowo when Oyediran was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by Justice Muntar Abimbola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
She was jailed for manslaughter. Before the murder, Oyediran worked with the Department of Public Prosecutions in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice.
She was accused of killing her husband with a knife after a disagreement on February 2, 2016, at their residence in the Akobo area of Ibadan. Oyediran reportedly accused her France-based husband of infidelity.
Bilyamin: On November 18, grief gripped the family of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Haliru Bello.
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| Sanda and Bilyamin |
Bello’s son, Bilyamin, was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife, Maryam Sanda. Sanda is the daughter of embattled former Aso Savings Bank boss, Hajia Maimuna Aliyu.
The attack, it was gathered, resulted from an allegation of infidelity against Bilyamin by his wife after she saw a text message on his phone. According to reports, Maryam stabbed her husband in the neck and chest while he slept in the bedroom at their home in Maitama, Abuja.
After stabbing him, she was said to have taken him to a hospital where he gave up the ghost. The couple had a daughter together.
Bilyamin, a real estate developer and businessman, was said to have always complained about his wife’s violent act to some family members and friends. The deceased has since been buried and the matter in court.
The attack, it was gathered, resulted from an allegation of infidelity against Bilyamin by his wife after she saw a text message on his phone. According to reports, Maryam stabbed her husband in the neck and chest while he slept in the bedroom at their home in Maitama, Abuja.
After stabbing him, she was said to have taken him to a hospital where he gave up the ghost. The couple had a daughter together.
Bilyamin, a real estate developer and businessman, was said to have always complained about his wife’s violent act to some family members and friends. The deceased has since been buried and the matter in court.
Lucy and Lawrence:
Two homes were thrown into mourning in the Gboko area of Benue State, and Oto-Awori area of Lagos State, on August 21. The two incidents happened same day. In the Gboko incident, one 33-year-old Joshua Terkaa-Uhir, allegedly
massacred his wife, Lucy, with an axe after accusing her of infidelity.
Same day, a woman, Folashade Idoko, reportedly stabbed her husband, Lawrence, to death with a knife after the latter allegedly received a telephone call from a suspected female lover at their home in Ayetoro, Oto-Awori.
The two tragic occurrences sparked frenzy on social media platforms. While Joshua has since been declared wanted by the Benue State Police Command, Folashade has been arrested and detained by the Lagos State Police Command.
Joshua and Lucy, a hairdresser, were married for about six years and their marriage was blessed with two children. The victim was rushed to the Gboko General Hospital where she was confirmed dead by a doctor.
Same day, a woman, Folashade Idoko, reportedly stabbed her husband, Lawrence, to death with a knife after the latter allegedly received a telephone call from a suspected female lover at their home in Ayetoro, Oto-Awori.
The two tragic occurrences sparked frenzy on social media platforms. While Joshua has since been declared wanted by the Benue State Police Command, Folashade has been arrested and detained by the Lagos State Police Command.
Joshua and Lucy, a hairdresser, were married for about six years and their marriage was blessed with two children. The victim was rushed to the Gboko General Hospital where she was confirmed dead by a doctor.
Also,
Folashade and Lawrence,
who were married for four years, newsmen learnt, had been engaged in intense disagreements before the
tragic incident. They had two kids; a three-year-old boy and a
one-year-old girl. It was reported that in a fit of anger, Folashade
grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her husband in the leg.
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| Yewande and late husband Lowo Oyediran. |
It was learnt the Lawrence had lost much blood by the time neighbours responded to the cries of the couple’s son.
One of wife’s neighbours said Folashade, an auxiliary nurse, was aggressive and violent, adding that people always tried to avoid having issues with her.
Fidelia: While Nigerians were celebrating Christmas in their homes, a retired boxer, identified only as Everitus, resumed training using his wife, Fidelia, as a sparring partner.
According to the police, the ex-boxer attacked his wife during a disagreement at their home in Uli, in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State and beat her to death.
The police in Anambra State have launched a manhunt for him. Fidelia, a trader, had demanded money for Christmas food from the husband when an argument ensued between them.
As the argument worsened, Everitus was alleged to have beaten her to a pulp. It was gathered that immediately the woman died, the ex-boxer fled the community.
Some youths in the area who got wind of the incident were said to have vented their anger on the suspect’s country house in Amamputu village, in the same council area and set it ablaze.
One of wife’s neighbours said Folashade, an auxiliary nurse, was aggressive and violent, adding that people always tried to avoid having issues with her.
Fidelia: While Nigerians were celebrating Christmas in their homes, a retired boxer, identified only as Everitus, resumed training using his wife, Fidelia, as a sparring partner.
According to the police, the ex-boxer attacked his wife during a disagreement at their home in Uli, in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State and beat her to death.
The police in Anambra State have launched a manhunt for him. Fidelia, a trader, had demanded money for Christmas food from the husband when an argument ensued between them.
As the argument worsened, Everitus was alleged to have beaten her to a pulp. It was gathered that immediately the woman died, the ex-boxer fled the community.
Some youths in the area who got wind of the incident were said to have vented their anger on the suspect’s country house in Amamputu village, in the same council area and set it ablaze.
Akpan:
Similarly, a man, Mr. Sunday Akpan of Eda Street, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, killed his wife, Mrs. Martha Akpan.
He was said to have also dumped her remains in a rubbish dump after his evil act. The Akwa Ibom Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, disclosed this in a statement, adding that investigation revealed that the incident occurred on October 11.
He explained that Akpan had a misunderstanding with his wife, which led to a fight on the day.
Elkana said, “After a tip-off, the command arrested one Sunday Akpan, an elder in the Light of the World Mission Church, Oron Road, Uyo, for the murder of his wife, one Martha.
“The suspect, at midnight, went further by using a machete to cut the remains of his wife into pieces; he gathered them in two sacks, put the sacks in a wheelbarrow and disposed them of in a rubbish dump close to the NDLEA’s office, off Nwaniba Road, Uyo.”
The police spokesman said the suspect perpetrated the act in the presence of his three children, who later reported the incident to the police. He added that the suspect owned up to the crime.
A psychologist, Dr. Valentine Ezeh, said couples who kill their partners usually come from troubled homes where aggression was the norm while growing up.
Ezeh, who teaches at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said men and women raised in a violent family subconsciously learn aggressive behaviours.
The psychologist said people with low self-esteem tend to use aggression as a “defence mechanism” for their weakness.
On what to do avoid violent relationships, Ezeh advised couples to check the background of their spouses before getting married.
For those who have already got married to a violent spouse, the expert advised them to seek the help of psychotherapist to contain their aggression.
He added, “If we go back to the way mates are selected culturally, I think families that are known to have traces of aggression or violence should be identified. They should be avoided. Families and churches should play a more active role to support spouses. Religious places should intensify their preaching against domestic violence. Culprits should be made to face the wrath of the law. It is unfortunate that many who kill their spouses are released within a few months.
“Aggression is not hidden. They say love is blind but marriage is an eye-opener. Trouble does not start overnight. The victims of domestic violence know their partners are aggressive but they remain in such abusive relationship. Aggression can be verbal or physical. Once a partner identifies this kind of trait in his or her spouse, and it persists despite help, such marriage should be dissolved.
“I will like to cite the case of the son of a prominent Nigerian who was killed by his wife recently. It was learnt that the man had complained to his family about his wife’s aggressive behaviour. He had reportedly sought a divorce but his family asked him not to go ahead. If he had quit such a union, he would not have been killed by his wife.”
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He was said to have also dumped her remains in a rubbish dump after his evil act. The Akwa Ibom Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, disclosed this in a statement, adding that investigation revealed that the incident occurred on October 11.
He explained that Akpan had a misunderstanding with his wife, which led to a fight on the day.
Elkana said, “After a tip-off, the command arrested one Sunday Akpan, an elder in the Light of the World Mission Church, Oron Road, Uyo, for the murder of his wife, one Martha.
“The suspect, at midnight, went further by using a machete to cut the remains of his wife into pieces; he gathered them in two sacks, put the sacks in a wheelbarrow and disposed them of in a rubbish dump close to the NDLEA’s office, off Nwaniba Road, Uyo.”
The police spokesman said the suspect perpetrated the act in the presence of his three children, who later reported the incident to the police. He added that the suspect owned up to the crime.
A psychologist, Dr. Valentine Ezeh, said couples who kill their partners usually come from troubled homes where aggression was the norm while growing up.
Ezeh, who teaches at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said men and women raised in a violent family subconsciously learn aggressive behaviours.
The psychologist said people with low self-esteem tend to use aggression as a “defence mechanism” for their weakness.
On what to do avoid violent relationships, Ezeh advised couples to check the background of their spouses before getting married.
For those who have already got married to a violent spouse, the expert advised them to seek the help of psychotherapist to contain their aggression.
He added, “If we go back to the way mates are selected culturally, I think families that are known to have traces of aggression or violence should be identified. They should be avoided. Families and churches should play a more active role to support spouses. Religious places should intensify their preaching against domestic violence. Culprits should be made to face the wrath of the law. It is unfortunate that many who kill their spouses are released within a few months.
“Aggression is not hidden. They say love is blind but marriage is an eye-opener. Trouble does not start overnight. The victims of domestic violence know their partners are aggressive but they remain in such abusive relationship. Aggression can be verbal or physical. Once a partner identifies this kind of trait in his or her spouse, and it persists despite help, such marriage should be dissolved.
“I will like to cite the case of the son of a prominent Nigerian who was killed by his wife recently. It was learnt that the man had complained to his family about his wife’s aggressive behaviour. He had reportedly sought a divorce but his family asked him not to go ahead. If he had quit such a union, he would not have been killed by his wife.”
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