Children Witness Horror as Father Kills Mother, Leaves Body in Tricycle in Rivers

Rivers State police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko

Children Witness Horror as Father Kills Mother, Leaves Body in Tricycle in Rivers

Ogbogoro Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State – Tragedy struck the Ogbogoro community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Tuesday when a man identified simply as Austin allegedly beat his wife to death and abandoned her lifeless body inside a commercial tricycle, popularly known as a Keke NAPEP. The couple’s young children reportedly witnessed the brutal attack, and the suspect fled the scene, leaving the corpse and the traumatized children behind .

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Nigerian Tribune, said the incident was discovered early in the morning, prompting residents to alert security agencies. According to the source, one of the deceased’s daughters informed police investigators that her parents had engaged in an argument before the situation allegedly turned violent. The child told investigators that her father struck her mother during the altercation, causing her to collapse .

The source further alleged that Austin subsequently carried his wife into a tricycle and instructed the children to accompany them, ostensibly to seek medical attention. However, upon realising that the woman had died, he allegedly abandoned both the corpse and the children inside the tricycle and fled. “This morning, as I was preparing to open my shop, a neighbour informed me that Austin had killed his wife. I immediately went to the junction to verify the information and saw the woman’s lifeless body inside the tricycle, with the children around her,” the resident recounted .

“Before I arrived, police officers had already visited the scene. I learnt that the eldest daughter later led the police to the hotel where the family had been staying before the incident. The child told the police that her father beat her mother during an argument and she fell to the ground. According to what we heard, the family had earlier been facing accommodation challenges and had moved into a hotel after they were unable to continue paying rent for their apartment. The girl further explained that after her mother collapsed, her father placed her inside the tricycle, apparently intending to take her to the hospital. But when he realised that she had died, he abandoned her body and the children and fled,” the source added .

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At the time of the initial report, the woman’s remains had reportedly not been removed from the tricycle, while police operatives were said to be continuing investigations into the incident. Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Rivers State Police Command were initially unsuccessful. The command has faced scrutiny over handling of domestic and gender-based violence cases in the past. In 2023, the command was forced to clarify reports of alleged compromise in a defilement case in Rivers State, with police spokesperson SP Grace Iringe-Koko explaining that a suspect had been released to a reliable surety due to unforeseen circumstances but was subsequently re-arrested following a manhunt . The command has previously stated its commitment to ensuring justice in criminal cases where suspects are found culpable during the course of investigation .

The Centre for Basic Rights and Accountability Campaign has condemned the incident, describing it as the height of man’s inhumanity to man. The National Coordinator of the group, Prince Wiro, in a statement reacting to the tragedy, said there could be no justification for the suspect’s actions . Wiro, who has previously intervened in cases of violence against women and children in Rivers State, including the abduction and defilement of a 13-year-old girl in Ogbogoro community, has consistently called on the police to ensure the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of violent crimes . He urged the police to carry out a thorough and transparent investigation to ensure that justice is served .

This case has drawn attention to rising concerns over domestic violence in Rivers State and across Nigeria. The gruesome nature of the killing, witnessed by the couple’s children, has sparked outrage on social media platforms, with many calling for stronger legal protections for women in abusive relationships. The Ogbogoro community has witnessed several high-profile criminal incidents in recent years. In 2023, a 13-year-old girl was abducted and repeatedly defiled in the same community by a suspect identified as Prince, who fled the scene and remained at large . That incident followed another case in the community where a 12-year-old girl was abducted and defiled by a 42-year-old man and his accomplices .

In 2020, a State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt convicted and sentenced a woman, Telma Bestman, to death by hanging for killing her husband at his residence along the Saint John axis of Rumuolumeni-Ogbogoro link Road in Obio-Akpor LGA . The court also sentenced an accomplice, Wilson Okelekele, for conspiring with Bestman to commit the murder . Delivering judgment, the trial Judge, Justice Augusta Kingsley-Chukwu, held that the prosecuting counsel was able to prove the case of conspiracy and murder beyond reasonable doubt .

According to information gathered from community sources, the family had reportedly been facing accommodation challenges prior to the incident. The source told the Nigerian Tribune that the family moved into a hotel after they were unable to continue paying rent for their apartment. This detail, while not directly related to the violence, paints a fuller picture of the circumstances surrounding the family’s situation before the tragic event. The children, who witnessed their mother’s death, are now left traumatized and without both parents as the father remains at large .

As of the latest reports, police operatives are continuing investigations into the incident. The Rivers State Police Command is expected to issue an official statement on the matter once investigations are concluded. The suspect, Austin, remains at large, and community members have called on security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend him. The victim’s body has not yet been removed from the tricycle as of the time of the initial report, though authorities are expected to take custody of the remains as part of the ongoing investigation . The police have urged members of the public with any useful information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts to report to the nearest police station. The command has also assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway and that justice will be served .