Husband slap wife to death over N100

OWERRI—For having the effrontery to
retaliate when her husband slapped her, the
woman received the second slap that sent
her to the great beyond. But the 36-year

husband, Onyekachi Anele, is currently
cooling his heels in the custody of Imo State
Police Command.
Already, the state Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, has not only ordered the
transfer of the matter to the State Criminal
Investigation Department, SCID, but has
equally directed that a thorough
investigation be carried out into the
circumstances that led to the woman’s
death.
Vanguard investigations revealed that Anele
and his late wife, Chikodi, were residents of
Obiniezena in Owerri North Local
Government Area, before the tragedy struck.
Anele, who had two children with his late
wife, blamed the incident on the alleged
effrontery of his spouse in insulting him over
N100.
He said: “When she insulted me over N100, I
got angry and slapped her. But she
immediately retaliated. I was shocked by her
effrontery. I slapped her a second time. She
fell down and fainted.”
While answering a question, the suspect
who had since become very sober, said that
he loved his wife and had no intention of
killing her.
He said: “I love my wife. I had no intention
to kill her. It was a little misunderstanding
and annoyance that prompted me to slap
her and she died.”
The suspect recounted that his late wife
had a son by another man before their
marriage and that they had been living
together peacefully and have two children.
He added that their first baby, a girl, is four
years old; while the second child, a boy, is
just a year old.
Meanwhile, the leadership of Imo Women
Network has appealed to the police to
ensure speedy investigation and justice in
the matter.
The Coordinator-General of the group, Dr.
Joyce Soroibe, lamented over what she
called “the increasing rate of domestic
violence in Nigeria.”
According to her, “if the perpetrators of
domestic violence are adequately punished,
others who are in the habit of beating their
wives will definitely learn a lesson or two.
However, if nothing is done to punish a
perpetrator, more women may be slapped to
death in the state.”