A man, Mr. Jonathan Igbinomiahie, has allegedly killed his 75-year-old mother, Mrs. Janet Igbinomiahie, who he accused of being a witch.
Jonathan was also said to have set his mother’s house ablaze and fled the scene before he was caught by some youths.
The incident happened on May 2 in Obagie in Ehor, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State.
A source told PUNCH Metro that 36-year-old Jonathan had been frustrated with his life and had accused his mother of being responsible for his inability to make progress.
The source said, “Jonathan had complained in the past that things were not as rosy as he expected. There was a time he confronted the mother and accused her of witchcraft. He said the woman had been using her power to hinder his progress.
“On the day of the incident, Jonathan went to his mother’s apartment and when he discovered that she was alone in the house, he shot her with a dane gun and later used a cutlass to cut her repeatedly.
“Some people were later attracted to the scene by the cry of the woman.
Jonathan also set the house on fire. As soon as he saw the people that came to rescue the woman, he ran away but he was later caught by the youth and they took him to Ehor Police Division, which is the nearest police station to the village.”
It was learnt that he was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Benin, on May 4 and is being detained there.
Another source, who craved anonymity, told one of our correspondents that Jonathan had arrived at his mother’s house around 8.30pm and sought to know from her whether or not, there were other people in the house with her.
She said after confirming that there was nobody in the house with the woman, Jonathan looked around for a weapon with which he struck the mother, who immediately collapsed.
The source said, “Jonathan came to the village around 8.30pm, he does not stay here. He went to the mother’s house and started asking her if there were people in the house.
“He later picked a big wood that was lying around and hit mama on the head. She fell to the ground, but people came in to rescue her.”
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Etim Bassey, said Jonathan was in custody and was being investigated.
Bassey said Janet did not die on the spot, adding that Jonathan had unconfirmed history of mental disorder.
He said, “He made enquiries about other members of the house. He was told they were not around and he asked if they would return home that night. The answer given to him is not certain, but he later turned around and picked a big wood. The mother by then was not aware what he was about to do.
“He hit the woman on the head and she fell down unconscious. He later opened the tank of generator, poured fuel on the ground and lit a fire. The unconscious mother was rescued through the backdoor by neighbours.”
The PPRO said as the mother was being rescued and the fire being put out, Jonathan watched the scene from a distance.
But contrary to what one of the sources said, the police said they arrested the man.
He said, “The house was on fire while he took a chair and watched from outside. The mother gave up later. Jonathan was later arrested by the police at Ehor station.
“Preliminary investigation is that one Florence Igbinimiahie came up to say the man has been a psychiatric patient for the last 11 years. We are investigating and asking whether this is a defence. We will not leave any stone unturned.
“But, I will want to believe he (Jonathan) is sane, until confirmed by a psychiatrist. Meanwhile, the corpse of the mother has been deposited at the mortuary, awaiting autopsy.”
Punch Nigeria
