The Adamawa State Police Command has launched investigations into two tragic cases of culpable homicide arising from domestic violence in Madagali and Gombi Local Government Areas.
The separate incidents, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals, have sparked renewed concern over rising domestic tensions within households.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, the first incident took place in Pallam District of Madagali LGA.
Preliminary findings revealed that a dispute broke out between two co-wives — Rhoda Anthony, aged 55, and Victoria Anthony, aged 36 — who are both married to the same man, one Anthony Pallam.
During the heated altercation, Victoria’s 16-year-old son, identified as Ijai Anthony, allegedly intervened and struck his stepmother, Rhoda, on the head with a piece of wood.
The impact caused her to collapse. Responding swiftly to the report, the Divisional Police Officer in Madagali led officers to the scene and arranged for the victim to be taken to the Cottage Hospital in Madagali. Unfortunately, Rhoda was later pronounced dead while receiving medical treatment.
Both the suspect, Ijai Anthony, and his mother, Victoria, have since been placed in protective custody as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident continue.
In a separate but equally disturbing event, the Command reported another case of domestic violence in the Fotta District of Gombi LGA. This time, a young man named Idi Buba was said to have fatally attacked his own father, Buba Jelli, during a domestic argument.
According to the police, Idi reportedly stabbed his father multiple times in the neck and back with a knife during the confrontation.
The victim was immediately rushed to the Primary Health Care Centre in Fotta but succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment. The suspect was arrested at the scene of the crime, and the knife used in the attack was recovered as evidence.
The Commissioner of Police in Adamawa State, CP Dankombo Morris, has strongly condemned both acts of violence, particularly as they involve close family members.
He has assured the public that justice will be served, instructing that both cases be diligently investigated and the suspects arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The police command also reiterated its call for peaceful conflict resolution within families and urged residents to seek non-violent ways of handling disputes.