A 41-year-old man, Uchenna Aghoha, has been arrested for allegedly beating his wife, Esther, to death during a domestic altercation in the Satellite Town area of Lagos State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Friday following a disagreement between the couple, which reportedly escalated into a physical confrontation.
Sources said the deceased had, prior to the incident, been subjected to repeated cases of domestic violence within the marriage.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the argument between the couple degenerated, during which Aghoha allegedly assaulted his wife with punches, leading to her collapse.
The source, who requested anonymity, said the couple’s daughter raised the alarm after witnessing the incident.
“We were aware she had been facing abuse in the marriage, but the fight on Friday morning looked like one of their usual disagreements. Shortly after, their daughter ran out of the house shouting that her father had punched her mother and she had collapsed. By the time we got there, she was not responding,” the source said.
A police source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the matter was reported at a nearby station by the couple’s 14-year-old daughter.
The officer added that operatives were immediately deployed to the scene, where the victim had already been taken to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, but was confirmed dead on arrival.
“The daughter came to report the incident in the afternoon and gave details of what happened. Our men visited the scene and later went to the hospital where doctors confirmed she was brought in dead,” the source stated.
He added that photographs of the deceased were taken at the scene as part of preliminary investigations.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect had been arrested.
She said the body had been deposited at the Yaba General Hospital morgue for autopsy, while the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, for further investigation.
Meanwhile, the incident has once again drawn attention to the rising cases of domestic violence in the country, with stakeholders continuing to call for stronger enforcement of laws and increased public sensitisation to curb spousal abuse.
