Dons Eze
WORRIES OVER RISING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
Within the past few weeks, domestic violence worsened in many Nigerian homes, with horrible scenes recorded across the country.
According to a 2019 survey by the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, 30% of Nigerian women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence, while a shocking 68% have encountered emotional, economic, or sexual abuse.
The figure is undoubtedly under-reported, as survivors often face various barriers to seeking help, including cultural stigmas, fear of retribution, and a lack of trust in the legal system.
Between 2019 and 2024, several reports of physical violence left countless individuals, particularly women and children either traumatised or dead.
The pathetic case of popular Nigerian gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, who reportedly lost her life in April 2022 due to alleged domestic violence is still fresh in the minds of many Nigerians.
Recently, the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja convicted and sentenced a man, Akinwale Akinlabi, to 12 years imprisonment for killing his wife, Cecilia Tope Akinlabi.
Most times, these incidents are caused by trivial issues that should not have escaped the bedroom discussion.
Concerning the Lagos incident, the prosecution’s first witness, identified as Inspector Jumai Adonduwa, told the court that before her death, the deceased reported her husband to the police for domestic violence following a heated argument about N100 demanded by her husband.
Some of the cases recorded in January 2025 are highly worrisome and are raising the curiosity of Nigerians.
Man chops off wife’s wrist with cutlass in Enugu
On January 26, 2025, a 33-year-old man identified as Sunday Echege was arrested by operatives of the Enugu State Police Command for severing the left wrist of his wife, Chinonso Echege.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the command revealed that the suspect, who confessed to the crime, claimed he acted out of suspicion that his wife was involved in extramarital affairs.
Reports said the couple earlier had a misunderstanding where the suspect set all the victim’s dress ablaze, leading to a partial separation but they reunited after one year.
The chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area of the state Hon Jude Chinedu Asogwa KSJI, who visited the victim at Ketochukwu hospital Nsukka vowed that Justice would be served accordingly.
He vowed that “gender-based violence has no place in our society”, telling the family that the state governor, Peter Ndubisi Mba was interested in the case and requested the immediate transfer of the victim to Parklane Hospital in Enugu for further medical care.
The suspect has been arraigned and remanded at the Enugu Correctional Centre.
Man bathes wife with boiling oil
Prior to the Enugu incident, one Kazeem Sholola was arrested in Ogun State for pouring hot oil on his wife, Mutiat Sholola, and stabbing her in the head during a domestic dispute.
Sholola, a resident of the Ring Road Community in Owode Egba, Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area, was reportedly assaulted in a fit of anger following a misunderstanding with his wife.
According to a statement by the Ogun State Police Command, the suspect, “in uncontrollable anger over a misunderstanding, poured hot oil on his wife and also stabbed her in the head”.
Man sets wife ablaze in Anambra
A housewife identified as Mrs Chioma Nwaka recently lost her life after being set ablaze by her middle-aged husband, Obiozor Nwaka, over suspected infidelity.
The incident happened on January 20 at Eziezekwe village in Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State but the victim died in a nearby hospital after 24 hours.
The husband, who went to the Abagana Divisional Police Station to report the incident and presented himself to the police, was arrested and detained at the facility.
The victim was captured in a viral video footage circulating on social media, scampering for safety while carrying a third-degree burn around her torso and other body areas.
In a confessional video before the Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs, the suspect said he was angry that the wife usually returned home late at night, at about 11 pm.
On one of such occasions, he reached out for petrol, poured on the victim and set her ablaze.
Benue woman bathes 9-year-old child with hot water
Just last week, a woman identified simply as Martha and a resident of Nyiman Layout area of Makurdi reportedly poured hot water on the private part of her nine-year-old ward.
The boy, who was brought from the village, was also denied access to a medical facility for treatment as the suspect kept him hidden in her room to avoid detection.
According to an eyewitness who spoke on Saturday, “a few people who noticed what was happening, questioned the woman why the child remained with them amidst pains but no genuine reason was given until we raised the alarm”.
The boy was, however, rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH where he is receiving treatment.
My husband has turned me into punching bag – Divorce seeking woman
A resident of Ushafa Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Mrs Bose Olawole narrated how she was subjected to torture and other abuses by her husband since 2023.
Bose said her 14-year-old marriage started crumbling after the husband (name withheld) started engaging in extramarital affairs with younger ladies.
According to her, whenever she confronts her husband over his extramarital activities, “he will turn me into a punching bag and this happens at least three times a week”.
She recently filed for divorce at the Ushafa Customary Court while the physical abuse was also reported to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP.
“Aside from the physical abuse, the emotional stress I went through in the past two years almost took my life. We will be in the same house for three months and he won’t talk to me.
“I almost got used to his beating but the day he almost killed me was the day I made up my mind to walk out of the marriage.
“We had a serious argument and he rushed to hit me like he used to do but this time, I was able to block him because he was drunk.
“That was how he went to the kitchen and got a knife to stab me. I ran out of the house that night and since then, we have been separated.
“What took me to NAPTIP was the abuse of the children. Whenever they ask him about their mother, the man will hit my three kids and starve them too.
“My first daughter is 13 years old. There was a day he poured pepper on her private part just because she opened her father’s phone and saw his chats with another woman. When I reported the matter to NAPTIP, he was arrested but freed after a few days”, she narrated.
Although similar cases have been recorded over the years, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Command, Bright Edafe said in a chat that domestic violence “is not a common thing here in Delta State”.
Sex, money, power major factors that cause domestic violence – Clergy
Pastor Olawole Micheal of the End Time Church, ETC, said in an interview with DAILY POST that due to his experiences from counselling couples in his church, he concluded that sex, money and power are the root cause of domestic violence against spouses.
According to him, “in my 10 years in the ministry, I have counselled several couples and I have discovered that what is affecting couple A is sometimes similar to what is affecting couple B.
“Based on my experience as a pastor and counsellor, there are three factors that can lead to gender-based violence, especially between couples. We have sex, money and power.
“Sex is one of the major issues in marriages today. Most of the marital disputes you see in society are in one way or the other, linked to sex.
“In my years of counselling, I have discovered that most couples that have this issue don’t have a good foundation. They probably didn’t take note of certain things during courtship.
“It is a matter of compatibility. You have to be sexually compatible before you take her to the altar or allow him to take you to the altar.
“There are some men that have very high libidos, while their wives are the opposite. They have low libidos, meaning they are not always ready.
“Nothing angers a man like when he doesn’t get sexual satisfaction from his woman. Out of frustration, some can even kill and later regret their actions.
“No matter the libido, the Bible instructed us in 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 that we must perform our marital obligations to our spouses.
“Another one is money. You know very well that your spouse has money yet he is not doing anything for you. Some men will tell me that ‘Look, my wife has enough money but her money is her money. She doesn’t do anything at home’; this is where hatred builds up.
“It is a problem that has led to domestic violence and even broken homes.
“We know that it is the man’s responsibility to take care of the home, but in a situation where he does not have, you are meant to support.
“God made this very clear in Genesis 2:18 it says ‘And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him’.
“As a woman, you are meant to help. And it is not just about the women. There are many men who prefer taking care of strangers to their own family. All these things can lead to gender-based or domestic violence.
“Another one is power. This boils down to a woman recognizing the fact that no matter her position, she is under a man.
“Some of our ladies these days don’t believe in that simple principle.
“Women now believe that what men can do, they can do it even better.
“This is laughable because no matter how powerful you are, a man is a man.
“It is not something we can change as humans. It has been so since creation. The clash of power disturbs the home and it can lead to anything”.
Psychologist attributes increased domestic violence to hardship, frustration
A psychologist, Tony Omeluko blamed the ugly trend on frustration birthed by the worsening economic situation of the country.
“When the economy is bad, it affects the men mostly because they are the ones that provide for the family.
“When their efforts fail to yield positive results, frustration will gradually set in and when a man is frustrated, most times, the wife suffers it and the wife too has the capacity of transferring it to the children.
“Nigerians and other African countries don’t care much about people’s mental health. A lot of Nigerians are currently sick mentally due to the hardship.
“You see, someone that seriously needs urgent therapy is being given some serious functions in society because we don’t check and we don’t care.
“That other guy that allegedly beheaded his girlfriend close to Abuja here, when journalists were interviewing him, you could see that the guy has mental issues. You could hardly comprehend what he was saying.
“We have a lot of people like him in the society right now”, he said.
