BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A 25-year-old mother of four in Ebonyi State, Nnenna Sunday, has been remanded in Abakaliki Federal Correctional Centre for allegedly hacking her neighbour’s two years and seven months old son (name not given) to death with a machete.
Sunday was said to have brought out a machete during a fight with her neighbour, Favour Akata, the child’s mother.
The boy was reportedly hit with the machete during the fracas.
The charge reads that “Nnenna Sunday (female), on the 4th day of June, at Amike-Aba village in the jurisdiction of this honourable court did unlawfully cause the death of one Miracle Akata (female) by inflicting machete cuts on her head thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 33, Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”
Akata told The POINT that on the 4th of June, at Amike-Aba village near number 1, Unity FM Road, Abakaliki, as she was washing clothes in front of her house, she told Sunday’s daughter that it was their turn to sweep the compound but the girl left without saying anything.
She said, “When I was done with the washing and stood up to spread the clothes, I saw the woman with a machete standing very close to my door step. She threatened that if I was bold enough, I should come outside to continue washing the clothes.
“My son was just at the door, I then rushed to go carry him, but she rushed up to him and hacked my son to death with the machete; she hit my baby’s head. The woman usually behaves strangely. The landlord had given her family quit notice but they refused to leave.
“She once wounded her husband with a machete. Then, we told him to take her to the village for treatment. We advised him to keep knives away from her reach, but he failed to heed advice. She is a mother of four. She didn’t hurt any of her children but she killed mine.”
On account of lack of competent jurisdiction to preside over the case, the Magistrate, Blessing Ibeabuchi-Chukwu, ordered that the suspect be remanded in Abakaliki Federal Correctional Centre for prosecution at the state high court.
The magistrate ordered the transfer of all documents and evidences in the matter to the Department of Public Prosecution for advice.
