Posted by From CHUKS ONUOHA, Umuahia on
A-25-year old nursing mother in Umuahia, the Abia State capital has been bathed with a mixture of hot water and pepper while she was breastfeeding her baby by the wife of a police constable, for daring to ask for N200 debt owed her by the assailant.
A-25-year old nursing mother in Umuahia, the Abia State capital has been bathed with a mixture of hot water and pepper while she was breastfeeding her baby by the wife of a police constable, for daring to ask for N200 debt owed her by the assailant.
The victim, Mrs Patience Uchendu from Okauga Nkwoegwu Ohuhu, in the Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State fainted following the attack and was rushed to Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where she was revived hours later by medical doctors.
Narrating her ordeal to Daily Sun, Mrs Uchendu said the bone of contention was the cost of a bottle of kerosene and some packets of noodles, which Mrs Cynthia Bassey, wife of Police Constable Bassey Udoh bought from her.
The assailant had allegedly promised to pay for the items within a week but did not fulfill her pledge. 'And because she (Cynthia) worships with me in the same church, I did not ask for the money until after one month. When I eventually asked for the money, she started abusing me, asking why I should disturb her because of common N200.
'She stormed out of my shop and went back to Nkwoegwu police post where she resides with her husband who works at Afugiri police station.
'She did not come back until some days later. One early morning, she came to my house,fully prepared for a fight instead of paying the N200 debt she was owing me.
As she stepped into my house , she started raining abuses on me, calling me all sorts of names and I told her that all I needed from her was for her to pay that money.
'She was actually poised for a fight and started insulting me, telling me that she would beat me like a child before my husband.
'It was then, my husband asked if she was really serious that she would beat his wife before him and she said ‘yes' and my husband asked her to go that we didn't have power and connection to make trouble as we are civilians. She angrily left and my husband soon after left home for work.
'When she noticed that my husband had gone out, she came back and hit me with a big stone while I was carrying our seven months old baby. I restrained myself since I already knew that what she was looking for was trouble. When my husband came back from work, I complained to him and he took me out for treatment. The next morning, she came back to meet my husband in the house. She told him that we fought yesterday and that I picked her headtie, which she had come back to take or else the fight would continue.
'My husband still pleaded with her to go because he did not need any trouble and she left.
'Then, my husband left home to buy pap for our little baby. And she came back. I never knew she had gone home to boil water and mix it with pepper. I had my back to her and the gate and was breast-feeding my baby not knowing that she was coming behind with hot water mixed with pepper. The next thing I noticed was a shadow that flashed and as I wanted to turn a hot liquid was poured on me from my neck downwards. I fell down and lost consciousness.That was the much I knew until I woke up in the hospital.
'It was my husband that told me later that Cynthia took to her heels immediately she saw that I had fainted.
Speaking on the matter, the victim's husband, Mr Uchendu Iroka confirmed that he went out to buy pap for their baby, adding, 'When I returned not up to an hour later I met my wife lying on the ground.
'People gathered and were trying to resuscitate her to no avail. The skin on her back up to the buttocks had peeled off. I asked to know what exactly happened to her.
My children told me that Mrs. Udoh came with hot water mixed with pepper which she prepared in her house, poured on their mother and left . As I drew closer her, behold I noticed particles of the pepper on the injury inflicted on her back. Then, I rushed her to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia where doctors battled for hours to save her life. I later went to their (Cynthia's) house but I could only meet her husband, Udoh Bassey Udoh, a police constable attached to the Ohuhu Division Station, Afugiri, Umuahia.
'When I greeted him he could only answer, have you finally come? I asked him if we are quarrelling, he replied 'No' and still asked, have you come at last? I decided to leave their house and rushed to State CID, Umuahia, where I lodged the complaint, in the office of the Assistant Commissioner.
'The police arrested the woman and released her some days later. While my wife is still on bed at Bathley ward of Federal Medical Centre, Udoh promised that he was going to offset the hospital bill, but has not fulfilled his promise.
Reacting, husband to the accused , Mr Udoh who said that his wife was not around for comment told Daily Sun that the Uchendus were their family friends.
He said what happened was the handiwork of the devil, adding that agreement had been reached for peaceful settlement under which he had even committed money for the treatment of the victim.