Spousal violence has claimed at least 33 lives between July 2020 and mid-April 2021, 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE investigation has revealed.
Statistics obtained through analysis of published newspaper reports show that 10 of such cases were reported between July and November, 2020.
The incidents include the case of a man who stabbed his wife to death in Jigawa State and another who killed his wife and two children in Osun State, all in July, 2020.
In August, police arrested a man who allegedly killed woman, grandchild, niece and stabbed the husband in Osun, while in September there were two incidents where a man allegedly murdered a stepson in Jigawa and another who murdered his wife over suspicion of infidelity and went ahead to commit suicide in Cross River State.
In October, a mother of two killed both her children when she learnt that her husband took a second wife in Kano State, while in Akwa Ibom, police arrested a fleeing husband for killing his wife with acid, even as a wife stabbed her husband to death in Rivers State within the same period.
The incidents in November involved a married man who set himself and girlfriend ablaze and a former lecturer who shot his wife and killed himself in Kaduna State.
The statistics also indicated that while two of such incidents occurred in January and three in February, 2021, the highest hit month was March with five cases, even as two were recorded in April.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that among the incidents in February were the case of a woman who killed her husband in Ondo over a phone call from his mistress, a 60-year-old widow who stabbed her co-wife to death in Ebonyi and a 42-year-old man who allegedly killed his wife in Lagos.
In March, a woman burnt her co-wife to death, while a wife killed her husband in Adamawa during a fracas with her co-wife, even as a man allegedly killed his wife in Ondo.
Other incidents include the pregnant woman who hacked her husband to death in Delta and the 35-year-old man who allegedly killed his wife in Anambra State.
How to address domestic violence – Cleric
An Islamic cleric, Malam Abubakar Saulawa, blamed rising cases of spousal killings on the emergence of social media and consequent negative effect.
He said social media comments could lead to jealousy and conflicts at home and relationship dissatisfaction, adding that there is link between social media and depression and anxiety, leading to negative thoughts.
He also said the problem festered because authorities are not handing down the necessary punishment to the persons who commit the crimes, while blaming religious leaders, especially Islamic scholars for not dispensing enough knowledge on shari’a.
He advocated for constant counselling of couple on the importance of marriage and the need for them to seek knowledge about Islam and Christianity as regards how to stay together in matrimony.
