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Man hammers wife to death over N800,000 in Bayelsa; commits suicide
Modupe Shodeinde
A 46-year-old man, identified as Patrick Markson, reportedly killed his wife and then took his own life, in the early hours Thursday at Edepie, a suburb of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The tragic incident, which occurred at Odede Street off Tombia-Amssoma Road, was said to have left many residents in shock.
The man, identified as a staff of the Yenagoa Local Government, reportedly clubbed his wife to death in her sleep with a sledgehammer.
He was said to have watched the woman bleed to death and, thereafter, drank a poisonous substance, lay close to the bleeding corpse and died.
The deceased wife, aged 35, identified as Hannah, is from Okotiama community in Gbarain Clan in Yenagoa council area of the state.
Vanguard reported that the deceased couple, blessed with six children, had been embroiled in marital disputes lately, which they could not resolve.
A lady close to the deceased woman described her as gentle and that she had no time for conflicts.
According to her, she was frying gari with the deceased when the husband called asking to speak with the deceased.
“I told him that when I get to where she was, I will pass the message. On reaching her, I told her and immediately we tried reaching him but we couldn’t.
“Later he called again, but I had left where she was so he told me to tell her to bring gari for home use.
“This morning (Thursday), the son called me that the mum was seen dead and he wants me to come.
“As I was going to the house, I called him and ask of the dad and he told me the dad too was dead.
“So when I got to their house I went straight to the room and saw them both lying on the bed dead.
“But I noticed a can of poison by the bed and a big hammer.”
She added that they had matrimonial issues, but she that had often intervened.
She explained that the cause of the disagreement was when her husband died “and I had a contract which I engaged him to benefit from.
“After the contract, he got N800,000 for himself and never gave anything to the wife. She was bitter and reported the issue to me.
“I approached him and told him what he did was bad, because I involved him due to the fact that he married my sister.
“But I didn’t suspect it would result to this. Now they are both gone,” she added.
Spokesman of the state police Police command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, confirmed the development and said investigation is ongoing.
