Detectives attached to homicide section of the Lagos State Police Criminal Investigative Department, CID, Panti, Yaba, have launched investigation into the alleged murder of one Akinbobola Dare by his wife, a school teacher, at their resident in Igbogbo, Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
But the 24-year-old mother-of-two, Olamide, said she stabbed him in self-defence, after being pinned down by the deceased, who was notorious for always beating her.
Her words: “My husband was always beating me anytime we had an issue. I didn’t kill him intentionally. Yesterday, he pinned me down and started beating me again. I picked the knife to scare him, but I mistakenly stabbed him. I couldn’t have killed my husband intentionally.
“In the past, I used to run out of the house when being beaten. But today (yesterday), he locked everywhere to prevent me from escaping.
“My family had told me to divorce him, but I didn’t want to because he is the husband of my youth and we already have two children together.
“You can ask around; everyone knows he beats me always.”
A neighbour, who declined to reveal her name, said the fight between the couple was because she asked the husband, a 28-year-old mechanic, to give her N50 for her transportation to her school.
She added: “The suspect had suffered domestic violence in the hands of her husband before the unfortunate incident. When the beating was becoming too much, the parents of the woman told her to divorce the husband.
“The woman chose to stay with her husband because of the love she had for him and their two children.
“It is known on our street that the couple was always fighting and the husband is fond of beating her on the slightest provocation.”
Another resident, who gave his name simply as Adeolu, said: “In the past, whenever they were fighting the wife of the deceased used to run out of the house. But on this very fateful day, the deceased locked their doors to prevent her from escaping.
“We always intervened in their fight anytime they started. The deceased and his wife were both youths in their 30s. The incident is an unfortunate one.”
Policemen from Igbogbo Police Division have arrested the suspect, following the incident, while the remains of the husband had been deposited at Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary.
Confirming the incident the Lagos State spokesperson, SP Chike Oti, said the case has been transferred to CID, Panti, and that investigation is ongoing.