By Lillian Okenwa
“Gender-based violence … destroys not just the direct victims but the watching children and the society…”
“Daily Trust Saturday reports that at least 49 spouses reportedly died between January 2021 and March 2022…”
With a liquid he knew to be clearly flammable, 46-year-old man, Azeez Hassan gave his wife Olayinka Hassan an infernal bath that would last her for a lifetime.
Her offence? She did not prepare his dinner. But what really happened?
A fortnight ago, the police in Ogun State Police arrested Azeez Hassan, who poured petrol on his wife and set her ablaze for allegedly refusing to prepare his food. He has since put the blame on Satan.
Police reports that Hassan asked Olayinka to prepare food for him that night, but she did not as she was busy washing clothes. Thoroughly provoked by her alleged, refusal, because he was hungry, he doused her with petrol and set her on fire.
The Ogun state police spokesperson disclosed that when asked whose clothes his wife was washing, Hassan confessed that they were his clothes.
He was eventually arrested following a report lodged at Ibogun divisional headquarters by his wife’s father. The victim’s father reported on October 22, 2022, that his daughter, Olayinka Hassan, was set ablaze by her husband over a minor disagreement, and that the victim, a mother of one, has been rushed to a hospital in Ibadan.
Though Hassan escaped before the arrival of the Police, they remained on his trail until the 22nd of January when he was eventually apprehended.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspect be transferred to the homicide section of the state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Olayinka Hassan was lucky. Last November in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Segun Ebenezer struck his wife Bukola Omotosho on the head with a padlock and allegedly killed her for refusing to hand over her school to him. Police investigation revealed that their incessant quarrel was premised on the fact the deceased built a private school but her husband who is a carpenter wanted to take control of the school.
Also, the body of Lindelani Nengovhela was found in a water-filled pit toilet in their yard at Mangodi Ha Sundou, Limpopo, on Saturday, January 28, 2023 days after she withdrew a domestic violence case against her husband, Livhuwani Madadzhe. Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa.
The couple was said to be in a very volatile relationship and Lindelani along the line filed a case of domestic violence against her husband. He was arrested.
Madadzhe, also known as comedian SABC Livhu, was out on bail and was to appear the following week in Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court but Lindelani went to court on Friday, January 27, and withdrew the case.
According to a Limpopo police spokesperson, the 38-year-old husband, called the police on Saturday morning, stating that he could not locate his wife but was surprised to find her dead in the pit toilet in their yard.
“A preliminary probe conducted by the police at the scene led to the arrest of the suspect on a charge of murder,” Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said.
Appealing to people in troubled relationships not to resort to domestic violence, Limpopo provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe lamented that: “This is yet another incident of gender-based violence and femicide perpetrated against a vulnerable member of society. The woman obviously trusted her husband would not again physically torment her, but she is now no more. We urge community members having domestic challenges to seek help and desist from resorting to violence.”
Ikechukwu Ogbonna, a 37-year-old Lagos car dealer, is still answering questions over the death of his wife, Abimbola Martins-Ogbonna. Ikechukwu and Abimbola had been married for 16 years. They have five children.
The marriage, however, was fraught with disagreement and alleged domestic violence. At the height of their clash, the couple separated and were said to have reunited. But on October 15, 2022, there was a fire incident at their Lekki mansion and Abimbola was caught in the inferno.
She was rushed to a hospital, where she died as a result of the injuries she sustained. Her family however suspects foul play. While demanding justice, they accused the police of cover-up, intimidation, and an attempt to force the family into an out-of-court settlement with Ogbonna and also drop charges against him.
The late Abimbola’s family also alleged that the police had changed Ogbonna’s charges from ‘manslaughter’ to ‘negligence’ so as to make it easily bailable.
A family member, Mr. Odiana Eriata, who was in court, said the issue of domestic violence ought to have been properly investigated and an appropriate charge should be preferred against the culprit.
Daily Trust Saturday reports that at least 49 spouses reportedly died between January 2021 and March 2022. The data showed that 35 women were killed by their husbands while wives killed their husbands on 14 different occasions.
Ovye Yakubu allegedly killed his wife, Esther Aya, in the Sabonpegi-Shabu community of Lafia, Nasarawa State. When he was arrested by operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command, a witness alleged that Yakubu killed his wife when an argument ensued over hiring a carpenter to fix one of the windows in their residence.
He said, “The deceased (Esther) had engaged the service of a carpenter to fix net in their windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house, but her husband stopped the carpenter.”
She reportedly resisted and her husband started beating her in the process.
She was said to have died from the injuries sustained when he descended on her.
Also, in January 2022, a 57-year-old man, Muhammed Alpha, was arrested for allegedly stabbing his wife of over 20 years with a knife over the ownership of a door made from zinc, while Motunrayo Alaba also allegedly applied a hot-pressing iron on the chest of her husband, having recently returned on vacation overseas. The man also died from the injury.
Ramota Soliu also allegedly poured hot water on her husband in a case of domestic violence. Wisdom Joseph allegedly strangled his wife, Evelyn Alifiya, to death while Emmanuel Chigozie killed his pregnant wife over a minor disagreement.
To Ikeazor Akaraiwe a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, “If you don’t want your partner again, for God’s sake, separate, BUT do not hit him or her. I hate to draw attention to myself but this is my 32nd year of marriage. I have never hit my wife and vice-versa. Not because we are perfect. Far from it, but because we understand it to be a no-no; and responsible for the so-many maladjusted children we see today.”
Jude Ifesemen, Lawyer, author, and coordinator, Heart of Soji Initiative, made an interesting observation: “Scientists all over the world are searching for answers and solutions for ailments and diseases like Aids, Covid19, cancer, etc. Unfortunately, there are worse things plaguing our generation that no research seems to be focused on for a cure. Gender-based violence is worse than cancer or the Covid 19 pandemic. It destroys not just the direct victims but the watching children and society.
“Worse is there is no antidote or vaccine against GBV especially when the victim either struck by Stockholm syndrome or any other personal reason refuses to leave.”
