Re: The lady who killed her children, spouse and herself

The manner in which she killed her three children smacks of deep-rooted wickedness. It was reported that she used a knife in slashing their throats…

Osondu Anyalechi

Anger is not strange to man. What is strange is the extent it is demonstrated when someone is provoked or when he provokes himself. My blood froze and I was numbed absolutely, after reading the publication in the Sun newspaper of November 10, 2018 about a lady, who killed her three children and her husband. Not yet satisfied, she smashed the windscreen of their Gulf car before killing herself.

Father strangles 4 children, commits suicide in Rivers

The manner in which she killed her three children smacks of deep-rooted wickedness. It was reported that she used a knife in slashing their throats, throats of children given to her by God! Imagine, someone, slashing the throats of her children, when many men, not to mention of women, are wary of slashing the throats of fowls, not to talk of slashing the ones of goats! But Aunty did. Yes, she did and these were the throats of innocent children, calling her ‘Mummy’!

There is a way a first comer behaves, no matter what it is: the usual coldness, the feeling of guilt, ineptitude, restraint, et cetera. All these were lacking in what Aunty did. I suspect strongly that she was not a first comer in slashing people’s throats. Her cup must have been full, hence she brought the practice to her home. Should armed robbers compel wives to slash the throats of their children, most of them would prefer rather to be shot to killing their God-given children. As bad as it is to kill one’s children, shooting them seems a better evil. William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, even asked, “Kill what I love?” I repeat, most mothers will not do that.

In her life time, Aunty must have known some women clustering the homes of native doctors and have seen many wives going to various hospitals and some, following Church ministers and evangelists from one church to the other and also from one city to another. These women have something in common: the need to be pregnant! But she destroyed her precious jewels, which other wives are looking for!

Why should a wife kill her husband? He might have annoyed her beyond measure, but was killing him a reasonable recompense? Who knows, whether she had spent time praying for a life-partner and God gave her the man. What then would have caused the murder? One of the things women tell me that provokes them is infidelity. Such a conduct by men is a grievous sin before God. Unknown to the murderer, killing him is really a loud demonstration of her love for him. Yes, it is. It means that she did not want to be separated from him in life or in death. The two lovebirds will remain inseparable in hell! Killing him and herself means, purchasing his first class ticket and hers to hell fire!

Violent act is thus, not the solution. Discussion will achieve a better result, if done prayerfully and with God’s wisdom. A marriage counsellor will also be helpful. Such a randy husband might not have imagined the extreme position his wife would take. He might have been taking her threats for granted, not knowing the extent the devil had made a mince of her. He might have prayed for a life partner and God gave her to him, yet, he was not contented with her. ‘It shines brighter outside,’ is the devil’s deception, which has ruined many lives. In some cases, the ‘beautiful’ lady Uncle has left his wife to pursue, might have been abandoned by her husband, who is now on a hunting spree! May you not be surprised if his target is the wife Uncle has abandoned!

One wonders, who she was intending to hurt by smashing the windscreen of their car. It was a selfish spirit at work. She wanted to die but still envied those, who would be sitting on her usual seat. In everything, a selfish person considers only himself. His usual prayer is: ‘God bless me and my family, in Jesus name. Amen’. The lady did not dig her grave before killing herself. She did not contract those, who would carry her corpse to the grave, nor the people to bury her. She knew that some people would do all these for her, yet, she smashed the car’s windscreen. A selfish man is selfish, even in death!

Why did she kill herself? Something terrible must have happened to someone, before he thinks of ending his life, so that he will not suffer again. If he believes that by killing himself, he will not suffer again and then he does so, it is the manifestation of selfishness. Such a man does not consider the impact of his death on others. If married, his wife and children will suffer more than they were doing, when he was alive. Some families have moved from flats to apartments of one or two rooms, when their breadwinners were dead.

The Sun newspaper published on December 4, how a student killed himself because he was going to make Second Class Lower instead of Second Class Upper Division. A student was denied First Class Honours because he refused to be a lecturer. He has occupied the three highest positions today in his profession, which First Class holders have not.

A selfish man commits suicide with the strong belief that nobody is interested in him and that nobody cares about him as he does not care for other people. Such a man has no respect for his parents, children, relations, friends, et cetera. When a car kills someone, a lot of people, especially women, will be crying, yet, they did not know him. Why should someone, then think that nobody cares for him?

Committing suicide does not, in any way, ameliorate the problem of anybody. It rather complicates it. When some people, who are bedridden by certain sicknesses, kill themselves, some people, out of ignorance, conclude that it is better for them to die than to be living and suffering. “Thou shall not kill,” God’s Word enjoins us. It does not refer to the killing of birds and animals but human beings, including self, because God made man in His own image. If a man kills himself, he has defied God’s Law and the penalty is hell fire.

The neighbours of this woman are in deep mourning. It is reported that, after smashing the windscreen of their car, the neighbours did their utmost to stop her from shutting the door before them. Their plea fell on deft ears. The teachers of her children are also in deep agony, rehearsing, even the things the children did in school the day she murdered them. The school pupils are sad for the loss of their classmates.

If those, who committed suicide, were to come back to life, they would regret and be ashamed of their wrong decision and action. They would apologize to many people for not considering their feelings, before ending their lives.