The First Lady of Abia State, Mrs Priscilla Otti, has said she is deeply saddened by the case of a man who, early Sunday morning, in Umuahia, gouged out his wife’s eyes allegedly for ritual purposes.

It was learnt that the man, Lawrence Uzor, an aluminium worker from Umuchieze in Bende Local Government Area but living at Adiele Estate in Umueze Ibeku in Umuahia North had, at about 1 am, used a knife to remove her wife’s eyes as she was asleep.

According to the couple’s landlady, Madam Lovejane Nwaiwu, who was also admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, whose husband is working and living elsewhere and who was also inflicted with injuries at the hand and mouth by the man, told our correspondent that, “About 10 pm on Saturday, I heard the man shouting ‘Odogwu, Odogwu (mighty, mighty)’. I was worried as I had not heard the man and his wife, Amarachi Lawrence, praying like that.

“I started praying for them. After that, I couldn’t sleep until about 12 am and was restless. At about 1 am, the wife, who is a teacher with one of the foremost private schools in Umuahia and aged 38 years, started shouting, ‘Mummy, I have been killed’. I opened my door, came out, peeped through their bedroom window and saw the man pressed down on the wife with a knife in his hands.

“I started pushing on people’s gates and calling out to the Umueze people, but nobody came out or responded. After all attempts to call neighbours to come and nobody answered me, I went to their parlour door and started knocking. Suddenly, he opened the door while holding the knife and tried giving me cuts on the head but I defended my head with my hand. He cut me on the hand and further slashed the knife at my face which incidentally cut me at the mouth. Some of my upper teeth came out.

“I ran into my house and locked the door, while he ran outside, locked our gate and went to a neighbour’s house to tell them that he had killed his wife and his landlord’s wife. While inside my room, I called my mother and my daughter, who then called a church neighbour and the community vigilance team who rushed to the neighbour’s house and apprehended him.”

Speaking at the Federal Medical Centre, where the victims are being treated, Mrs Otti said she was deeply saddened by the case just a few days after signing the compact agreement with the UNFPA on gender-based violence, stating, “This is a terrible case of violence, attempted murder and violence”, adding that she would take immediate action to ensure Mrs Lawrence was well and protected.

Mrs Otti further assured the state that she would ensure further GBV response front desk and team took proper actions and commended the Umueze Ibeku community over their response and support to the issue. The Abia First Lady also donated cash for the treatment and upkeep of the victims.

Earlier in his response, the Medical Director of the FMC, Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, who was represented by the Director, Medical Services, Mrs Aisha Onyemaobi, explained to Mrs Otti that reports indicated that the main victim, Mrs. Lawrence, (38 years old) was deeply asleep when the husband woke her up and started cutting her, adding, “There was an attempt to gouge out her eyes and she had genital mutilation”, while the suspect is in custody.

Onyemaobi further disclosed that good progress in her recovery was expected.

The victim’s sister, Ijeoma Okpokiri and her cousin, Chioma Okpokiri, both from Emede Ibeku, pleaded with the Inspector General of Police and the government at all levels, particularly the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to look into the matter and to also help their sister to recover. (The PUNCH, excluding headline)

Update news