Did Michael Chidozie, a middle-aged man, kill his wife of 10 years? The police in Rivers State are battling to resolve the puzzle surrounding the death of Ufuoma, the wife of Chidozie.

Ufuoma, who was about 37 years old, was found dead on March 5. She died at their residence on Chinda Street, Obio-Akpo Local Government Area, Rivers State.

It was gathered that there was an altercation between Ufuoma and her husband on alleged financial irresponsibility of Chidozie. The woman reportedly accused the husband of not providing for the family. She was said to have complained that the man abandoned his financial obligations to his three boys and wife.

On the night of March 4, tempers flared between the man and his wife.  The children claimed they saw their father lose his cool and hit their mother. They said they overheard their mother crying but that their father gave them a marching order to hit the sheet. They said while they went to bed in obedience to their father’s order, they could no longer hear the cry of their mother.

On the morning of March 5th, the children were woken up by a bang on the door. They heard the voice of their uncle, their mother’s brother, directing them to call their father, but they discovered that their father was not in the apartment.

The children were said to have told their uncle that their father was not around, following which the uncle said they should call their mother, but all efforts by the kids to wake up their mother were to no avail.

The uncle reportedly asked the children to give him the key to their door. He opened it, entered their room and discovered that his sister was lifeless. He raised the alarm that attracted neighbours, who immediately invited the police.

So what happened to Ufuoma? The uncle said the husband of his sister called him and asked him to come to his apartment, citing emergency. However, on getting to the house, he discovered that his in-law bolted the house and ran away.

While Ufuoma’s body was moved to the mortuary, the police spread their dragnet in search of her husband and arrested Chidozie on March 6.  Though Ufuoma is no longer alive to speak about the circumstances that led to her death, her bosom friend of 10 years, Sarah, provided some lead.

Sarah, who was yet to come to terms with the reality of Ufuoma’s death, said they were classmates at the Auchi Polytechnic where they graduated from the accounting department. She said marriage later brought them together again in Port Harcourt.

“But the last time I saw my friend in December 2023, I discovered that things were not well with her. She complained that her husband was maltreating her financially. She said the husband was working but failed to provide for her and the three boys.

“But I told her to be patient with him, that things were really tough. But she told me that about three months ago, her husband borrowed money but could not pay back.

“She said those he borrowed money from later came to their house to seize some of their items,” she said.

Sarah confirmed that prior to December last year, she did not receive such complaints from her friend. She, however, recalled that following hardship, her friend and the husband relocated from two-bedroom flat along Iwofe Road to a bedroom flat.

On whether the friend complained to her about domestic violence, Sarah said: “She did not complain about violence. She only said the man was not providing for them financially.”

She added: “In February, my friend called me and begged me to help her with some money to feed the children. I asked her about her husband and she said he was out of the house. I later sent her N5000. That was the last time I heard from her.

“But I got a call on March 5 in the morning and the caller asked me to come to my friend’s house. I rushed down there and saw many people in the compound including some policemen. I saw my friend lifeless.

“I cried and they told me that the husband beat her to death. I followed them to take her body to the mortuary.

“I looked at her body but I didn’t see bruises. She was just lifeless. I wondered whether in the heat of the argument the man pushed her and she hit her head on a hard surface. But I checked her head and there was no injury.”

Sarah appealed to the police to diligently investigate the circumstances that led to the death of her friend. She asked the police to thoroughly quiz the husband, insisting that the man has questions to answer.

“Why did he run away if he was not responsible for her death? Why was he not available to even take the woman to the hospital and perhaps to the mortuary? Why did he abandon the children with the corpse and run away?” she queried.

The police are currently trying to resolve the conundrum. It was gathered that the police may resort to conducting an autopsy on the body of Ufuoma to resolve the confusion.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said Chidozie was currently in detention. Iringe- Koko said the suspect was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Port Harcourt for discreet investigation.

She said: “The suspect has been arrested. He has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Port Harcourt for discreet investigation.”