A native doctor, simply identified as Nonso, has been remanded by an Anambra State magistrate court for allegedly attempting to bury his lover and her two children alive.
The herbalist, who is from Umuona in the Aguata Local Government Area of the state, was tried on Thursday at a Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Awka and was remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre for attempted murder.
According to reports, the man, who was in a relationship with the victim, who is a single mother of two kids, sent a commercial motorcyclist to fetch her and her children.
The victim, who told her story after she was discharged from the hospital, said she went to see the suspect because he had earlier promised to marry her.
She said, “On that fateful day the suspect sent a bike man to bring me and my kids to his house. He didn’t allow us to go home that day because it was already late.
He later told me that he had a surprise for me, and he used a white handkerchief to blindfold me.
“A that point I struggled to know what was happening, but unfortunately it was late as the suspect had already brought a knife and started cutting my throat.”
The victim further said although she struggled for her life, she was overpowered and dragged to an already dug 5ft grave in the suspect’s backyard and she was pushed into the grave.
She maintained that the suspect threw a big stone over her head, went to bring a shovel to cover her, when she started shouting, thereby alerting the suspect’s sister, who had long slept off.
According to her, it was the suspect’s elder sister who came to her rescue after she had also alerted members of the public who helped to restrain the native doctor. However, at that point, the bike man, who was his accomplice, had escaped.
It was gathered that the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo, took care the victim and her two children through her Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) response team, while the suspect was arrested and arraigned.
During the proceedings at the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court presided over by Magistrate Genevieve Osakwe, the charge was read to the defendant, but no plea was taken.
The court remanded the defendant at the correctional centre and ordered the police to transmit the case file to the office of the Attorney General.
The matter was adjourned to December while the police were ordered to ensure they arrest the fleeing accomplice.
