Photos: Man allegedly slaps his wife to death in Owerri

36 year old Onyekachi Anele pictured above, has been arrested by the Imo state police command for allegedly slapping his wife, 32 year old Chikodi, to her death at their home in Obibiezena in Owerri North Lo­cal Government Area on June 1st.

According to The Sun, the late woman who had three children, two with Anele and one before they met, on the day of the incident, accosted Anele as he returned from a vigil at his church and asked why he hadn't given his stepson N100 to school.

An angry Anele gave his wife a slap and she retaliated. Surprised by her reaction, Anele gave her another slap which caused her to faint. He rushed her to the hospital where she was confirmed dead. Narrating what happened, Anele said

“I got married to my late wife Chikodi Anele over four years ago. She had a son for another man before we got married. We have been living together in peace. We have two children. Our first child, a girl, is four years old while the second child is a boy, who is just one year old. On May 31, 2016, I went to my church, Jesus Disciples Fellowship, where we had a vigil. I came back around 5: 30 am and started playing Christian music. My wife came to where I was and said that I should give my stepson N100 naira to go to school. I told her that I had no money with me. You see, my late wife was hypertensive; she became very an­gry that I did not give my stepson N100. She started to insult me. I got angry and slapped her. She slapped me in return. I was shocked by her effrontery and slapped her a second time. She fell down and fainted. I rushed her to City Hospital, Nekede. On getting there, the doc­tor checked her and confirmed that she was dead. I went to the nearby police station at Umuguma and reported the matter to the police and they arrested me. I love my wife. I had no intention to kill her. It was misunderstanding and annoyance that prompted me to slap her and she died. Up till now, it looks like a dream and a mystery to me. ” he said

Anele has been in police custody since the incident happened. Their neighbors at their home say the couple never had any domestic fight as they showed love and respect to each other.

One of the neighbors, Chukudi Eneka said

“They both loved each other; they were a good family. The devil just caused this thing. Suddenly we heard them quarrelling. The husband slapped the wife and the wife slapped him back. The hus­band then slapped her again. She fell down and fainted. We thought it was a joke. When she was taken to the hospital, the doctor said she was dead. We are shocked over the incident.”

Her corpse has since been deposited at the morgue.