A 41-year-old man, Uchenna Aghoha, has been arrested for allegedly punched his wife, Esther, to death during a domestic altercation in the Satellite Town area of Lagos State.

It was learnt that the incident occurred on Friday.

It was gathered that the deceased had been subjected to domestic violence in the marriage before the day the incident happened.

The altercation that ensued on the day of the incident was said to have started with an argument that later degenerated into a fight.

A source who was privy to the incident but did not want to be named told our correspondent on Tuesday that Aghoha threw punches at Esther in the process, leading to her death.

“We are aware that she had been a victim of abuse in the marriage, but the altercation that happened on Friday morning appeared to be one of their regular fights.

“It was later that the daughter ran out of their home and raised the alarm that her mother had collapsed after being punched by her father. We rushed there and discovered that she was motionless,” the source narrated.

A police source, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on the condition of anonymity as he was not permitted to discuss the incident, said the couple’s daughter reported the case at the police station.

The source added that the victim was rushed to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead.

“The couple’s 14-year-old daughter reported to the police in the afternoon and narrated what happened. Our men were deployed to the scene of the incident and discovered that the victim had been rushed to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Ojo, where the doctor on duty confirmed she was brought in dead,” the source disclosed.

The police source added that operatives who visited the scene also took photographs of the deceased.

When contacted on Tuesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident.

She said, “The suspect has since been arrested and is currently in police custody. The body was subsequently deposited at the General Hospital, Yaba Morgue, for autopsy. The case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, for further investigation.”

Domestic violence cases have continued to raise concern among stakeholders in Nigeria, with reports of spousal abuse and fatalities surfacing across different states. Experts have repeatedly called for stronger enforcement of laws protecting victims and increased awareness to curb the trend. (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)

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