A 51-year-old woman identified as Mrs Gladys Napoleon who is a native of Chokocho in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State is now cooling off in police cell for killing her husband.
The suspect narrated to the police and newsmen how she mistakenly killed her husband, Mr Napoleon Amadi, with a machete after they had an argument.
While being paraded at the premises of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Mrs Napoleon also told newsmen that her late husband had first made a move to kill her with the same machete, and that she had only acted in self defence.
She further alleged that her husband had threatened to kill her and her children for ritual purposes.
“I stabbed my late husband twice on his head because he wanted to kill me. He had accused me of going out before quarrel started,” she said.
The suspect, mother of two surviving daughters, said she had been married to the victim for over 35 years with six children of whom only two survived.
Mrs Napoleon explained to journalists that she had entered into an argument with her husband who brought out a machete to kill her, and trying to wrestle out the cutlass from his grip, it mistakenly hit him on the head.
With the assistance of her brothers-in-law and a police team on duty at a checkpoint in the area, Mrs Napoleon said her husband was rushed to two hospitals at Igwuruta, but was pronounced dead at the second hospital.
Mrs Napoleon is now appealing to the people of Umuebule in Etche and the state to pardon her.
The suspect claimed she raised alarm during the argument that led to the unfortunate incident, but that no one responded.
She also said she had earlier reported the alleged maltreatment by her late husband to his family but no one intervened.
Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, SP Nnamdi Omoni, also confirmed to newsmen that Mrs Napoleon had admitted to have murdered her husband with a matchete in an incident that occurred on the 8th of October.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, after using the matchete on her husband’s head, washed off the blood stain on the cutlass.
SP Omoni added that the suspect, will be charged to court after proper investigation on the matter is concluded.
He advised members of the public, especially families, to employ alternative means of resolving conflicts rather than resort to violence.
He also advised couples to learn to walk away from heated arguments to avoid similar incidents.
