By Kate Halim
Intimate partner violence is prevalent in some relationships. While women are mostly victims of domestic violence, some women have also killed their partners in a fit of rage.
Across different states in Nigeria, there were cases of domestic violence which led to the deaths of some people in 2022. Saturday Sun took a look at some cases of intimate partner violence which led to the deaths of the victims that made headlines last year.
In the early hours of January 24 2022, Alaba Bakare, a 36-year-old Lagos businessman and owner of Bama Hotel in the Ojokoro area of Lagos was allegedly killed with a hot pressing iron by his 27-year-old wife, Motunrayo Oluwatoyin.
According to reports, the violent incident took place at their residence on Finance Road, Maplewood Estate in Oko-Oba area of Lagos State. The reports stated that Motunrayo accused her deceased husband of infidelity which resulted in a fight and she stamped a hot pressing iron on his chest which later led to his death. She was arrested afterwards and charged to court.
In April, the news about the death of famous gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu not only shocked the Christian community where she transformed lives with her melodious songs, it also shocked other Nigerians both home and abroad.
The initial report stated that she had died of lung cancer but later on, her twin sister and close friends debunked the news and revealed that she died years after suffering domestic violence at the hands of her husband. One of her close friends described her marriage as hell on earth.
The twin sister of the deceased, Amarachi Eze told reporters that her sister died as a result of the constant beatings from her husband, who, she noted, kicked and punched her frequently.
The late singer’s husband, Mr Peter Nwachukwu was later arrested after a family member of the deceased lodged a report for culpable homicide at Lugbe Police Station.
Mr Nwachukwu is facing a 23-count charge bordering on domestic violence and homicide, among others. The case is currently in court with the accused declaring his innocence at every court sitting.
David Idibie who resides in Ajah, Lagos State was arrested for the death of his 42-year-old wife, Juliana Idibie, who was found dead in their apartment.
The man was arrested for allegedly beating Juliana to death, adding that they found the body of Juliana in their apartment after a neighbour contacted the police.
In April, Anulika Uguru, a mother of seven, died in Ebonyi State following alleged domestic violence and constant battery by her husband.
The incident occurred in Ekeru–Inyimaegu in Izzi Local Government Area of the state. The state chairman of Human Right Defenders (HURIDE), Sampson Nweke, revealed that the victim, who originally hailed from Ndiechi Onuebonyi Igbagu, had on April 19, reported a case of battery and domestic violence to his office against her husband, Sunday Uguru.
In July, the Adamawa Police Command arrested Caroline Barka, a 20-year-old housewife, for stabbing her late husband, Barka Dauda, to death. Barka, a resident of Angwan Tamiya in Madagali Local Government Area of the state was apprehended by the police following a report received from a relative of the deceased.
Reports stated that the accused engaged her late husband, Barka Dauda, in a fight following an argument that ensued between them after the deceased returned home drunk and fell on their one-year-old baby who was in bed.
Angered by his drunkenness, habitual late nights and failure to provide basic necessities as a husband, the suspect said that she engaged the deceased in a fight resulting in her stabbing him. He was rushed to the hospital but was later confirmed dead. The couple was married for two years before the unfortunate incident.
Also in July last year, The Edo State Police Command arrested one Favour Oyhou, in Auchi, for allegedly stabbing her lover, Paul Handsome, to death.
The state Deputy Police Public Relations, ASP Jennifer Iwegbu, said that around 7.30 pm in Auchi, Edo State, 25-year-old Paul Handsome was reported to have been stabbed to death by his girlfriend, Favour Oyhou, who went into hiding but was later arrested in Benin on July 25, 2022, around 10.45 pm.
On August 8, 2022, one Mr Adeniyi Jose, 45, from Akure, Ondo State, reportedly strangled his wife of eight years, Chioma Gloria Ibeh, 39, from Imo State, over allegations of infidelity.
Reports stated that Jose used a rope to strangle his wife and after killing her, he also killed himself by consuming a poisonous substance. The bodies of the couple were found by the wife’s sister, Brenda Ibeh, who visited the couple and didn’t get an answer when she knocked.
In September, a young lady was allegedly killed by her boyfriend after her neck was broken. Her corpse was found in her apartment in Akwa Ibom state.
The deceased, identified as Uwakfon Sunday Akpan was allegedly killed by her boyfriend Godwin after she told her mother earlier that she was coming over to spend some time with her.
In the same month, the murder of Ummakulsum Sani Buhari, a 23-year-old Kano-based lady sparked outrage among Nigerians on different social media platforms
The deceased, popularly known as Ummita was allegedly stabbed to death by her Chinese lover, Mr Geng Quanrong, in Kano.
According to reports, Mr Geng was Ummita’s boyfriend for about three years before she got married to someone else in February 2022.
Ummita’s mother told reporters that after her daughter’s divorce, Geng came back to her life, insisting that he must see her even after her family chased him away and disapproved of their relationship.
But on that fateful Friday night, the defiant ex-lover reportedly stormed the house by pushing away Ummita’s mother who had opened the door for him after persistent knocking. He was alleged to have gone straight to Ummita’s room where he stabbed her.
Soaked in blood, Ummita was rushed to the hospital but she died on the way. The police later arrested Mr Geng and the case is ongoing in court at the moment.
In October, the Borno Police Command arrested one Fatima Abubakar, 25, for allegedly poisoning and killing her husband, Goni Abbah.
The suspect was arrested on October 19 by men of the Command at Anguwan Doki. The victim, who was the Chief Imam of the area, returned from the mosque when the suspect, who was his second wife, allegedly mixed poison in his food and served him to eat.
The police stated that as soon as Mr Goni started eating, he started feeling uneasy and before long, his condition deteriorated.
The victim was immediately rushed to the State Specialist Hospital where he was given emergency medical attention, but unfortunately he later died when the couple returned home.
In her statement, the accused confessed to the alleged crime, noting that she bought the poison from Monday Market when she already made up her mind to kill him.
The suspect, Fatima, who was paraded at the command, stated that she killed her husband because she was tired of the marriage. She added that she never wanted the marriage and revealed that the deceased was her second husband. She stated that she got separated from her first husband because she hates marriage.
She said: “Anytime I wake up to the fact that I am married, it pisses me off. At some point, I had to run to my parents to demand an end to the marriage but they always sent me back to my husband, asking me to be patient. I don’t like marriage, so I killed him to be free.”
In October, the Lagos State Police Command arrested a lady, Esther Paul, for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend, Sadiq Dahiru, to death at Amusa Street, Agungi, in Lekki area of the state.
According to reports, Dahiru’s stepfather, Kazeem Obafunso, reported the incident at the Ilasan Police Station after he was told that his stepson had been stabbed by his girlfriend,
It was learnt that policemen detailed to investigate the case rushed Dahiru to Evercare Hospital where a doctor on duty confirmed him dead. Paul was arrested afterwards while the remains of the deceased were deposited at the mortuary.
In December 2022, news broke that a 48-year-old Abuja business woman, Ijeoma Phillis Chiboli was gruesomely murdered by her 31-year-old lover Tochukwu Christian Edeh because he didn’t want to marry her.
The pair had met in a Facebook group and started dating. The suspect, a native of Nara Unateze, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, claimed that his deceased lover, Ijeoma Phyllis, was too old for marriage.
In his statement, Edeh said: “I got into a relationship with her but later found out that she was many years older than me. I met her at an event during the COVID-19 lockdown around March 2020, and we started visiting each other.
“She started pressurizing me to marry her and gifted me with a Toyota Highlander SUV to facilitate the union. She even sponsored me to go back to school where I read phonology before I could find a job at a private school as an administrator and teaching staff. On the fateful day, she offered me food, and I refused to eat because I had decided to be avoiding her, as I didn’t want to marry her.”
“Noticing that I was no longer interested in her, she asked me to return her gifts, including the SUV, so when I refused to hand over the car keys to her, she picked up a pestle and wanted to hit me with it, but I snatched it from her and used it to hit her.”
After killing her, the suspect made away with the deceased’s Toyota Corolla, iPhone, mobile phones, and other personal effects. He sold the Toyota Corolla for N1, 700, 000. The deceased elder sister came to report to us in company with her police friends and other friends forced the deceased’s house open and recovered her decomposing body wrapped with rug carpet.
Why intimate partner violence persists
Rita Ilevbare, Executive Director, Gender Relevance Initiative Promotion (GRIP) told Saturday Sun that most women who report their husbands for intimate partner violence don’t do that because they want justice. In her words, they do it because there is another woman in the picture getting the attention, affection and time of their husbands.
She said: “Most abused women report their husbands to my organisation not because they want the law to take its course, but because they want us to threaten their husbands. When we counsel them and offer them options available to them under the provision of the law, they won’t accept any of the options because they either want you to beg their husbands to stop abusing them or they want you to threaten such husbands.”
When it comes to curbing the menace of domestic violence, Ilevbare noted that even though more sensitisation is needed in the society, domestic violence won’t stop until women begin to place a value on themselves. She said things won’t change until women stop placing marriage above their dignity, state of mind and mental health.
“Marriage is good but it shouldn’t take precedence over one’s life and safety. Until women get to the point of saying they won’t take certain treatments from men, they will continue to suffer intimate partner violence,” Ilevbare said.
Modupe Ehirim, Founder and Lead Counsellor, The Right Fit Marriage Academy said that curbing the menace of domestic violence will require education. She said that men, women, parents, families, community leaders, religious leaders and law enforcement agencies should be educated about the concept of personal boundaries.
Ehirim said: “We should look at cases of domestic abuse and dig deep into the history of the victims and their abusers. What was their nurturing like? What were they exposed to as they grew up? What skills – relationship, conflict resolution- were modelled for and taught to them? What are the cultural norms they imbibed about abusive relationships?”