By Sabiu Abdullahi
A tragic incident occurred in Idekan Farm Settlement, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, on Sunday, leaving residents in shock. Matthew James, a resident of the community, killed his 55-year-old wife, Etim Mary, out of suspicion of extramarital infidelity.
According to reports, the incident took place around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. Community and police sources revealed that James, now in police custody, committed the crime due to suspicions of his wife’s affair with another man in the community.
An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, disclosed that James claimed to have had a “blood covenant” with his wife, promising not to betray each other. The eyewitness recounted, “They had a blood covenant that they would not leave each other. He suspected the wife was having an extramarital affair. The woman had been married before she met James. He married her when the woman was already ageing. She had grown up with children before James married her.”
The eyewitness continued, “James is claiming they both had a blood covenant not to leave each other for any reason. He just returned one morning with a machete and hacked the woman to death. He didn’t run away after committing the crime. He just stood beside her after.”
Omolola Odutola, the spokesperson for the state police command, confirmed the incident, stating that Etim Mary was pronounced dead at the hospital after being rushed there by residents.
Odutola said, “She was found lying in the pool of her blood just in front of the house about 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. She had deep cuts on her forehead, shoulders, and other parts of her body. The husband was found with the blood-soaked machete he was believed to have used to commit the crime.”
The police spokesperson added, “The body was taken to a general hospital in Ijebu-Igbo, where she was certified dead by a doctor on duty. Her corpse has been deposited at the Alayangbe Private Mortuary in Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, for the autopsy. We will move the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta as soon as the preliminary investigation is concluded.”
This incident bears a resemblance to a similar occurrence in Ekiti last April, where a man named Dare Onipede allegedly killed his wife, Arinola, during a dispute over accusations of her having an extramarital affair.
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