Punch
Tuesday, April 13, is a day 24-year-old Chinaza Azuatalam will not forget. It’s the day her 29-year-old husband, Chinonso Azuatalam, who is a welder, lost his life.
The artisan on that day took breakfast with his wife and two daughters, Munachi, aged three years and Amara, one year, and left for his workshop located in Okuku community, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
Our correspondent learnt that he had barely started work for the day when he got a call that his sister, Chioma, a serving police woman in the state, was in his house and allegedly beating his pregnant wife.
It was gathered that Chinonso returned home to a chaotic atmosphere where some villagers were trying to rescue his wife from his sister.
Chinaza, who spoke to our correspondent from her hospital bed on Thursday in Okuku, said that her husband on arrival protested against his sister’s action, adding that his sister instead called three of their siblings on the phone to join her.
The pregnant woman who spoke in a broken voice added that on arrival, his three brothers-in-law identified as Chibuzor, and twins; Mishark and Shedrack, allegedly descended on her husband.
She said that while villagers at the scene tried to stop them from fighting her husband, one of the twins allegedly hit her husband with a big stick and he fell down immediately. Chinaza noted that her husband’s immediate younger brother, Chibuzor, used a machete to inflict a deep cut on her husband’s forehead and he lost consciousness.
The woman said that contrary to the claim that her husband died in a hospital, he actually gave up the ghost before he could get medical help. The pregnant widow further alleged that her in-laws were also threatening her life after purportedly killing her husband.
She said, “I married Chinonso in 2017. He was until his death a welder and the first son of his family. We had two daughters together, Munachi and Amara and I am currently seven months pregnant. My husband, daughters and I ate breakfast together that day before he left for his workshop. Not long after he left home, my sister-in-law, Chioma, came to our house and started beating me. She abused me and was beating me before some villagers came to my rescue.
“My husband whose workshop was not far away from home was contacted and he quickly rushed home. On arrival, he started protesting and his sister, a police officer, who always boasted of how connected she is, quickly called three of their siblings on the phone to come to our house. They came and started beating my husband. As they beat him, one of the twins hit him with a big stick and his immediate younger brother used a machete on him and he had a deep cut on his head and collapsed immediately.
“People started shouting that they had killed my husband and started crying. I wanted to come out from where I hid but some people quickly held me and the children back. My husband died before some villagers took him to a hospital in Umuguma where he was pronounced dead by doctors.
“The death of my husband was painful because that was not what I bargained for with him. Where do I start from? The incident has crippled me and it looks as if my world has stopped moving. It looks as if the world is against me now. It looks as if I am still in a dream and hoping to wake up in no distant time to realise that this episode is a movie scene.’’
Asked if her husband had issues with his siblings before his death, the widow said there had been disagreements over inheritance which she claimed his family members denied him as the first son.
She said that her husband’s maternal uncles advised him to forget his late father’s shop which the second son occupied and their family land which his siblings allegedly wanted to share without her husband’s consent.
The woman who said that she dropped out in secondary school said, “My husband’s maternal uncles came on Sunday and pleaded with him to allow his immediate younger brother to continue using their father’s shop. Also, his siblings teamed up to share their father’s belongings in her husband’s absence. The development was vehemently opposed by my husband.’’
The widow also claimed that she faced opposition from her mother-in-law whom she alleged mocked her for not having a male child. She stated, “They teamed up to kill my husband and they have succeeded. My sister-in-law always boasted that she would deal with me and my husband and nothing would happen.”
Asked what she wanted upon her husband’s death, she said, “I want my in-laws to bring back my husband. I am only a housewife. My husband was the breadwinner. He was the one who took care of our daughters. I want justice. I want the government to come to my aid. I want my children’s education to be taken care of. My husband was awaiting the arrival of the baby in my womb. But it’s unfortunate that he did live to see his unborn child. I want justice for my husband. I want the government to establish something for me so that I can take care of my children.’’
The widow said that she would not consider staying with her husband’s family, adding that she cannot be safe with them.
Chinaza said, “Nigerians should come to my aid. Nigerians should not allow hunger to kill me and my children. I don’t know how to feed my children and myself or take care of my baby when I give birth. I want my husband to get justice even in death.”
The deceased’s uncle, Amadi Azuatalam, who spoke to our correspondent when he visited the place where the murder took place, said that he was also not spared from what he described as his nephews and nieces troubles.
