A middle-aged man, Mr. Friday Njoku, has committed
suicide after he allegedly murdered his fiancée, Cynthia Nwofia, 25, over
suspicion of infidelity in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
The late Nwofia was murdered at her Abakaliki residence
around 11.30pm on Wednesday, while the alleged killer, Njoku, committed suicide
by drinking poison on Thursday.
Njoku, who hailed from Izzi LGA of the state, was an
okada rider. He had been dating the late Nwofia for two years before the
tragedy.
Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, Nwofia’s elder
brother, Mr. Mishak Nwofia, claimed that Njoku stabbed his fiancée to death.
He said the family had reported the matter to the police,
adding that the remains of his sister had been deposited at the mortuary of the
Federal Teaching hospital, Abakaliki, for an autopsy.
He said, “Friday Njoku was to become the husband of my
late sister, having made his intention to marry her known. He even brought
drinks to my family which was accepted, although both of them have not
officially been joined together as husband and wife as the tradition demands.”
Nwofia debunked the allegation of infidelity against his
sister.
One of the late Nwofia’s neighbours, Mr. Michael Ugwu,
explained that at about 11pm on Thursday, he heard the panic cry of Nwofia’s
roommate, calling on neighbours that the victim was being stabbed with dagger
by her fiancé in their room.
“When people rushed out to rescue her, Mr. Njoku ran out
of Cynthia’s room and escaped through a bush path. We hurriedly conveyed the
girl to the Federal Teaching hospital Abakaliki where doctors on duty confirmed
her dead,” he said.
Efforts to get the reaction of Njoku’s family proved
abortive during a visit to his residence on Friday as none of his family
members were around.
Confirming the incident, Ebonyi State Police Public
Relations Officer, DSP Lovet Odah, said the police had commenced a full
investigation into the matter to unravel the circumstances surrounding the
murder of the deceased and the suicide case.
“Our special anti-robbery squad, visited Njoku’s
residence and found him dead. With him was a bottle of chemical and there were
stains of the poison in his mouth,” Odah said.
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