A man simply identified as Austin has allegedly beaten his wife to death during a domestic quarrel in Ogbogoro community, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The lifeless body of the woman was discovered inside a commercial tricycle (Keke Napep) at the community market junction early on Tuesday morning, sparking outrage among residents.
A resident who spoke to our correspondent said the tragic incident came to light when people woke up to find the woman’s body abandoned in the tricycle.
According to an eyewitness account, one of the couple’s children narrated the sequence of events to police operatives.
The child reportedly told investigators that her parents had engaged in a heated argument, which escalated when her father struck her mother, causing the woman to collapse and die on the spot.
In a desperate attempt to cover up the act, Austin allegedly carried his wife’s body into the tricycle and instructed the children to get in. When he realised she had passed away, he abandoned the vehicle at the junction, telling the children to stay with their mother while he went to get medication. He never returned.
As of the time of filing this report, the deceased’s remains were still inside the tricycle at the market junction at Ogbogoro.
Meanwhile, the children have led police operatives to a hotel where the family had been staying after being evicted from their rented apartment, while efforts to apprehend Austin, who is now at large, are ongoing.
The Rivers State Police Command is yet to issue an official statement on the matter. Residents have called for thorough investigation and justice for the deceased.
