Housewife sentenced to death by hanging for killing and setting husband ablaze

A 28-year-old housewife Mrs. Mary Attah, has been given sentenced to death by hanging for committing a grievous crime.

She was handed the death sentence by a Delta State High Court, sitting in Effurun, for stabbing her husband, Pastor Darlington Attah, with a kitchen knife and setting him ablaze.

She was pronounced guilty on the one-count charge proffered against her by Justice E.I. Oritsejafor.

According to The News, the Prosecution Counsel, Patrick Mekako Esq, told the Court that the accused who was married the deceased, with four children, had on 6 July, 2012 at Effurun attacked her husband with a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the neck as a result of an alleged phone call from the husband’s lover.

He further told the Court that the accused was infuriated by the telephone call at a time they were having a ‘nice time’ which prompted her to rush to the kitchen, collected the knife and armed herself with grounded pepper which she rubbed on her husband’s face to immobilize him before stabbing him in the neck.

Not satisfied, the convict doused the husband who was already weak as a result of excessive bleeding with fuel and set him ablaze and he later died at the Warri Central Hospital where he was rushed to.

The offence is punishable by death under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21, Volume 1, Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.