On Sunday, March 29, a 30-year-old man, Sunday Ejor, of Nwang community, Ekajuk Ward 2 in Ogoja Local Government Area of Northern Cross River State, allegedly butchered his live-in lover, Lucy Moshe Igu, 26, a native of Abrumbede, Ibil, also in Ekajuk, and hid her body in the bush.

The suspect, a peasant farmer, was allegedly previously accused in Lagos where he was resident also for murder and involvement in illicit narcotic substances, escaped and went back to his Nwang community, three years ago, where he met and fell in love with the victim.

The relationship, according to villagers in Nwang, was checkered owing to frequent fights because of accusations of infidelity against Lucy by Sunday even as he failed to undertake the proper marital process for his so-called lover to become his wife. He frequently accused the lady of cheating on him with three of his friends, names withheld.

On the day of the murder, Sunday began attacking the lady at night and early in the morning, allegedly dragged her to a nearby stream and inflicted her with severe cuts on her head, face and neck which led to her death.

To conceal the murder, he allegedly wrapped her body in the wrapper she was tying and dragged her into the bush.

The absence of the woman from home for several hours, it was gathered, raised suspicion from some youths who accosted the suspect and, after threats, he led them to where he dumped the lady’s body. The youths were about to lynch him when someone called in the police who rescued the man and took him into custody.

When Sunday Vanguard visited Ibil village, a cousin of the deceased, Joy Philip, said: “The man brutally killed my cousin in the farm even though he is yet to pay the bride price or even bring the customary drink to the family as culture demands”.

She lamented that the incident happened months after her eldest brother drowned in the local river at midnight.

“These frequent deaths have become too many in my family. Moshe, may your spirit not rest while your killer is still breathing. Make sure peace is far from him until you get the justice you deserve and find rest in peace”, the cousin said as tears ran down her cheeks.

After the arrest of the suspect by policemen fromthe Ogoja Divisional Police Station, women from both communities who thronged the police station in large numbers clashed at the police station.

While Ibil women demanded for the release of the man to them “to handle him in our own way”, Nwang women insisted that the right process must be followed to get justice for the victim.

“Cruelty like this exists because the system has failed us. No one cares about what the law says, everyone has become a judge of his own insanity so we are ready to do justice to this cruelty”, Uduma, one of the protesting Ibil women, told Sunday Vanguard.

She said the man took life out of another human being and as such ”does not deserve to live”.

The Nwang women, for their part, insisted that the killing “was an accident and due process must be followed for justice to prevail”.

“Do two wrongs make a right? The killing may be an accident or in self-defense. It could be that the girl attacked her husband first and these Ibil women are asking the police to release our son to them to kill him. Is that the right thing to do?” Madam Agnes Abu, the leader of the Nwang women, said while defending their son.

According to her, the lovers lived in Nwang community and everyone knew that the lovers were frequently involved in fights.

Cross River State Police Command said the man had been arrested.

Confirming the arrest, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, police spokesman, said sources alleged that the suspect carried out the attack due to suspicions of infidelity.

“Police operatives swiftly responded upon receiving the report and visited the scene of the incident and the suspect was apprehended and rescued from an attempted mob action by youths. He is in custody for his safety and ongoing investigation”, he added.

The spokesman further disclosed that the victim’s remains had been deposited at the General Hospital mortuary in Ogoja. He concluded that the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department. (Sunday Vanguard, excluding headline)

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