Man Murders Wife Over Alleged Infidelity

Residents of Idekan Farm Settlement in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, are reeling from shock after Matthew James allegedly killed his wife, Etim Mary, 55, on suspicions of infidelity.

The gruesome incident occurred around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, leaving the community in disbelief. According to sources, James, now in police custody, committed the crime after suspecting his wife of having an affair with another man in the community.

An anonymous eyewitness revealed that police from the Ijebu-Igbo Division swiftly apprehended James. The source added that James claimed he and his late wife had a “blood covenant” forbidding betrayal.

“They had a blood covenant not to leave each other,” the source said. “James suspected she was unfaithful. He married her when she was older, and she had grown children from a previous marriage. On that morning, he returned with a machete and hacked her to death, not fleeing the scene but standing beside her body.”

The state police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the tragic event, stating that Mary was pronounced dead at the hospital after suffering severe injuries.

“She was found in a pool of blood around 5:00 p.m. with deep cuts on her forehead, shoulders, and other parts of her body,” Odutola said. “The husband was found with the blood-soaked machete. Her body was taken to a general hospital in Ijebu-Igbo and later moved to Alayangbe Private Mortuary in Oke-Agbo for an autopsy.”

Odutola added that the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta once the preliminary investigation is completed.

This incident echoes a similar case reported in April in Ekiti, where Dare Onipede allegedly killed his wife, Arinola, amid accusations of infidelity, stabbing her to death.