A man from Abia has allegedly removed his wife’s eyes for ritualistic reasons and attacked their landlady with a machete.
The incident occurred in the Umueze Ibeku community, a suburb of Umuahia, Abia State, during the early hours of Sunday, September 1, 2024.
The perpetrator, identified as Lawrence Uzor, reportedly assaulted his wife while she was asleep, leading to her hospitalization at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Umuahia.
Madam Lovejane Nwaiwu, the landlady, was alerted by the sounds of the victim’s distress and rushed to the apartment to investigate.
During this confrontation, the suspect allegedly brandished a knife and attempted to harm her, but she managed to escape.
In a recounting of her experience to Mrs. Priscilla Otti, the wife of the Governor, who visited the victims on September 2 at the FMC, the landlady described her narrow escape.
She explained that upon hearing the commotion, she felt compelled to intervene, only to find herself pinned to the ground by the assailant, who aimed to inflict serious injury.
The landlady recounted, “Around 10 PM on Saturday, I heard the man exclaiming ‘Odogwu, Odogwu’ (mighty, mighty). I became concerned as I had not heard them praying as usual. I began to pray for them. Afterward, I found it difficult to sleep, and around 1 AM, I heard the wife, a teacher at a private school, cry out, ‘Mummy, I have been killed.'”

She then opened her door and peered through their bedroom window, witnessing the man overpowering his wife with a knife in hand.
I began to knock on the gates of the residents and called out to the people of Umueze, but no one emerged or replied. After exhausting all efforts to summon my neighbors without success, I approached their parlor door and began to knock.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the individual brandished a knife, attempting to strike me on the head. I managed to shield my head with my hand, but he inflicted a cut on my hand and then slashed at my face, resulting in a cut to my mouth that caused several of my upper teeth to be dislodged.
I quickly retreated into my house and secured the door, while he exited, locked our gate, and went to a neighbor’s residence to claim that he had killed his wife and the wife of his landlord.
Inside my room, I contacted my mother and my daughter, who subsequently reached out to a neighbor from the church and the community vigilance team. They promptly arrived at the neighbor’s house and apprehended him.
In the meantime, the Governor’s wife expressed her shock at this heinous act and pledged to pursue justice for the victims. Mrs. Otti conveyed her deep sorrow regarding the incident, occurring just days after she had signed a compact agreement with the UNFPA addressing gender-based violence.
She stated that the suspect would face prosecution for his brutal actions, questioning how a man could perpetrate such cruelty against his spouse. “This is a grave case of violence, attempted murder, and brutality,” she remarked.
The First Lady of Abia assured that the State Government would respond appropriately to similar incidents, emphasizing that actions would be taken against gender-based violence.
She commended the Umueze Ibeku community for their swift response, which led to the suspect’s capture.
Additionally, she provided financial assistance for the treatment and care of the victims, assuring them of her full support.
Earlier, the Medical Director of FMC, Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, represented by his Director of Medical Services, Mrs. Aisha Onyemaobi, assured that the hospital would deliver the highest quality of care to ensure the victims’ complete recovery.
In a statement, the Chairman of the Umueze Ibeku community and General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA Umuahia Zone, Tutus Ambrose Jonah, characterized the event as barbaric.
“It resembled a scene from a movie that fateful morning. Prior to that day, the victim and her husband had been living harmoniously as a married couple.
“It was reported that a young man from the village took Lawrence to a prayer house, after which Lawrence returned from a visit to a local stream carrying cola nuts, eggs, and other items.”
Mr. Jonah, who deemed the incident unusual, called for justice for the victims.