Stripped Anambra Widow Finally Opens Up, Reveals Who Actually Killed Her Husband

By Izunna Okafor

Few days after her video went viral on the social media, the Anambra widow who was recently stripped naked by mob for allegedly killing her husband with multiple sex romp, Mrs. Ajuese Obiorah has finally given a detailed explanation of what truly transpired before the video and how her husband actually died.

In an interview with the woman who has also accused of adultery, she explained that after the demise of her husband, his kinsmen accused her of being responsible for his death, as a result of sexual relationship she kept with another man who was not her husband —a secret they claimed was revealed to them by a herbalist who they consulted for divination.

However, denying the allegation of killing her husband or keeping any other sexual relationship outside wedlock, she explained that a man, one night, sneaked into where she was lying down (outside but still within their compound) after her husband who was lying there with her before had gone into the room and slept off. She said that on sneaking in to where she was, the man started caressing her, which she said she opposed, and warned him to stop, on the ground that she is a married woman whose husband would not be happy to see indulge in such act with another man. She said after saying that, she angrily stood up and went in to join her husband in the bed, leaving only the man outside, until he eventually left.

“Another day,” she continued (in Igbo language), “that same man came again, now inside the room, where I was about sleeping after I had taken my bath, tied only wrapper and lied down to sleep. And when he came, he started doing the same thing he did the other again, which I also angrily kicked against.

“After I had warned him to stop that and leave my room before my husband would come back and meet him there, which would change the whole narrative; he pleaded with me to allow him to ‘release just once in-between my legs’, which he eventually lured me into doing, after pestering me on that for a very long time. And after that, he left.”

Mrs Obiorah went further to say that eventually, her husband fell sick, and they took him to various herbalists, who all said the cause of his problem was from his family; except one herbalist known as Nnaeleatu, who said the my husband was poisoned and questioned why he would allow himself to be poisoned, knowing fully well that he was a public man.

She said the herbalist, Nnaeleatu admitted and started treating him in his house, while he also started responding to treatments, to the extent that he was almost perfectly healed, before the story changed.

“That evening,” she said, “I was told to go home to prepare and bring food for my husband to eat, and I left to get the food. When I came back, I saw that my husband had been brought outside from inside where he was before. I also noticed that he was now breathing abnormal and no longer smoothly as it was when I left. Then one of the men there suggested we called the herbalist to come home and administer treatments to him.

“When the man came and finished treating him, he said he would perform a divination to reconfirm the actual cause of my husband's ailment. And after performing some divinations, he said my husband's problem was as a result of my extramarital affairs.

“Later, the he (the herbalist) called me and accused me of keeping extramarital sexual relationship with another man, and questioned why I did so. I told them everything that happened between me and that man. But he still insisted that I was befriending the man, which I still told him I didn't.

“He told me they would summon Ndị ichie to make a pronouncement with ọfọ, which they did.

“As we were there, my husband said he wanted to go home, and told me to join him on the motorcycle. I and his siblings who were there told him to wait so that we would call a bike man to ride us home, as he was very sick to ride a motorcycle. He listened and waited.

“But after a short while, he stood up again and insisted he would ride himself home alongside one of his siblings. He then told me to look for another bike and be coming back since I didn't want to go with him. Then he went again and mounted on the motorcycle and started it to go; but the motorcycle refused to move. 

“As this was going on, one of his siblings and I went to him again, held the motorcycle and started begging him to come down due to his serious health challenge. 

“While we were persuading him to come down from and leave the motorcycle, one of his siblings, known as Goddy, who was drunk with 'kaị kaị' then rushed to that place with anger and started beating my husband and heating him hard on his chest as though to force him to leave the motorcycle and wait for Okada.

“I was then baffled and unhappy with the way he was heating and beating him, considering his very pitiable health condition. When I attempted to stop him, he threatened to descend on me if I dared touch him again. The threat did not make me give up in making him to see reasons to stop beating my husband. And he then descended on me and started beating both of us (me and my husband).

“It was in the process of this incessant beating that my husband slumped, started gasping for air and struggling to breath, till he eventually died there on the ground.”

This, Mrs Obiorah said, was how her husband slumped and died.

While acknowledging that she made a mistake by not telling her husband about the encounter she had with that man who invaded where she was sleeping, she, however, said the kinsmen of her husband threatened to take her to Ajaani Ukwu shrine to swear that she was not dating the man, which she said she agreed to do. 

Howbeit, she said that when she was brought to Ajaani Ukwu shrine to swear, the people started forcing her to rather confess and accept that she was dating the man, to avoid them beating her to death, which she said she unwillingly did after their compulsion.

According to the widow, it was after they came out from the shrine that the women of the village grabbed her and stripped her naked, while people surrounded and started molesting and making videos of her, which were eventually posted on various social media platforms.

On her marital life, she revealed that she would no longer wish to remain in the marriage —a marriage she said is in its 8th year and with no child, as her only child (daughter) is late now. She also disclosed that the kinsmen of her late husband also forced her to make a covenant that she would never remarry another man in her entire life, which though she said she did not do.

On her future plans, Mrs Obiorah explained that she is a hairdresser, and would like to relocate to somewhere else and venture into her hairdressing business, as she no longer wishes to stay in that area.

Recall that a video started trending and going viral on social media, showing a woman completely stripped naked and molested by mob who alleged that she killed her husband with sex, while some others accused her of adultery.

In the video, the lady, who was stripped naked, was seen squatting beside the corpse of her husband, while members of the community abused her in Igbo language.

Some were overheard saying such things as “Ọ làgbùlù di ya” (meaning “She killed her husband with sex.”); while some others were saying different things and levelling different accusations on her while making videos of her.

Whatever be the reason for such molestation and public disgrace, this video has continued to attract reactions of many concerned individuals.

The President-General, Aguleri Community, Hippo Onwuebuke, explained that the woman was accused of committing adultery.

He said, “The whole matter started in-house, but before we knew what was happening, some hoodlums were brought in and the matter was escalated. The case is now with the police and the woman has made her statements to the police. We are dealing with it.

“The husband’s people caused it; although adultery is an abomination in our community, the woman deserves fair hearing. We have condemned the act and the way it was handled. If a woman is found guilty of committing adultery, you send her home, simple.”

Also reacting to the incident, the Traditional Ruler of Aguleri H.R.H. Igwe Mike Idigo, said the action of the few whom he doubted their Aguleri indigeneship, is not the custom of his people, assuring that the traditional council of the town is already looking into the matter to ensure justice for the widow.

Another community leader, who pleaded anonymity said, “The deceased was a local traditional musician. So, the woman in question knew the repercussion of what she did. From what we gathered, we heard that when the young man died, the friends and family members went to seek the truth traditionally.”

In his own reaction, the spokesman of the state's police command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the command had rescued the woman and was also studying the viral video to identify those who dehumanised the woman.

According to him “The Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, while describing the act as barbaric, stated that one suspect was already in custody, even as he ordered immediate study of the video with the aim of identifying more suspects and bringing them to book.”

“Further information reveals that the deceased has already been buried before the video started trending. The victim was rescued and she is currently receiving medical care in the hospital,” he said.

On her own part, the wife of the state governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, has called for the punishment of those involved in the attack on the woman.

Raecall that the incident happened at Governor Obiano's hometown, Aguleri, in Anambra East.

In a statement made through the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Emeka Ozumba, in Awka, Mrs Obiano said, “My attention was drawn to a video clip containing graphic images of a woman subjected to ignominious treatment of the worst kind. She was not only publicly condemned over alleged adultery, but paraded stark naked on the streets. I must say that the conduct of the persons who took the law into their hands to debase the hapless woman was barbaric and disgusting.”
 
Also, the Anambra State Commissioner for Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs, Lady Ndidi Mezue, has also waded into the case, as she stormed at the family home of the widow.

Speaking at the place, Lady Mezue assured the family of  justice, and encouraged them not to despair. She said “I have been contacted on phone by  the  Honorable Minister for Social Development and Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, also Wife of the Governor of Anambra State Dr. Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, all have interest in this case, everybody involved in this inhuman act will be brought to book.”

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Izunna Okafor is an Anambra-based journalist and author. He writes via [email protected]