A man, identified as Ikechukwu Obiora, has allegedly strangled his pregnant wife for refusing to open the gate on time for him.

It was gathered that the deceased, Ebere Obiora, was a few months pregnant before the incident happened and the marriage was barely six months old.

The incident happened on Thursday at Ezi-Ogwugwu, Otolo Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The suspect allegedly confessed to the crime after he was summoned by his in-law for his explanation of the development.

A source close to the family, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, said the couple had been involved in domestic violence which had been unknown to the wife’s family members.

The source said, “Around 7pm on Thursday, March 2, 2023, the deceased family received a call from the husband’s mother, informing them that their daughter had just slumped and appeared to be dead.

“As soon as they made their way to their in-law’s residence at Ezi-Ogwugwu, they were informed that their daughter had been rushed to the Nnewi Diocesan Hospital at Akwudo.

“At the hospital, the doctor on duty informed them that their daughter was dead after medical check. The deceased family members had to take the body to another hospital, St. Felix Okolo Hospital, Nnewi, where the doctor also confirmed dead before it was eventually deposited at the morgue.”

According to the source, the husband of the deceased, Obiora, confessed to the killing of the wife during an interrogation by the deceased family members.

He said, “I returned home in the morning of March 2, 2023, and was knocking at the gate, but my wife did not open the gate immediately.

“In that anger, I started shouting at her. I first slapped and hit her from the gate to the house before angrily grabbing her by the neck and strangling her.

“I couldn’t believe what happened because I never expected that such actions would lead to her death.

“I eventually abandoned the corpse and left out of fear and confusion, after confiding in few persons who I sought advice on what to do.

“It was later in the evening that my mother reached out to my wife’s family members.”

When contacted, the state Police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, did not confirm the incident as he did not respond to calls and messages to his phone on the development.

But a senior police officer at the command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, saying the suspect would be charged after investigations. (The PUNCH)

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