Barley two weeks after the death of Nigeria’s popular Gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu following alleged domestic violence, Nigeria has woken up to yet another death in the matrimonial home.
This time, another husband in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Matthew Samuel allegedly killed his 23-year-old wife by
ripping her stomach open during a disagreement and is now on the run.
The victim, Mercy Samuel had lived together with her husband and had two children before the incident in Aguldi community along Vom Road, few metres from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru.
The community was thrown into mourning following the death of the 23-year old mother who lived in a small apartment with her family until last Monday where she had her stomach ripped open and her intestine cut by her husband Mathew who is now at large.
Brother of the deceased who rushed her to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos, where she fought for her life but later gave up on Wednesday gave his own account of what happened.
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The State Project Officer, Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative, WRAPA, Jummai Madaki who raised the alarm and tried to get support for the late Mercy before her demise also shared her own side of the story.
The aged mother of the accused who is now left with the burden says her son’s whereabout is still unknown since he committed the act.
A visit to the deceased family house in Gyel, Bukuru shows they are yet to come to terms with the reality as they confirmed that there had been some violence against their daughter in the past by her husband.
Although the Plateau State Police Command is yet to make a statement on the matter, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Rebecca Sambo who also visited the deceased family assured them that the matter would not be swept under the carpet.
Mercy’s case is one out of many other gender-based violence going on in the society which has again reemphasised the need for women to speak out and report to the authorities once they sense danger in their marriages and not give themselves over to be killed by violent husbands.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
