A 63-year-old farmer is standing trial before an Akure Magistrate Court, for allegedly butchering his wife to death following a domestic disagreement that ensued between them.
The accused person, Oluwatubosun Dahunsi, told the court that he didn’t know what happened to him when he killed his wife, Oluwafunmilayo.
Dahunsi was arrested by the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly killing his wife at Ita-Ipele village in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, on October 6, 2019.
The 63-year-old farmer was arraigned before the court on one count of murder. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The charge sheet read “You, Dahunsi Oluwatubosun, ‘m’ on October 5, 2019 at around 6:30 a.m. at Ita-Ipele Camp via Owo in the Ondo Magisterial District unlawfully macheted your wife, Funmilayo Dahunsi ‘f’ on her two hands, head, stomach, neck and her jaw with cutlass to death and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 316 and punishable under section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 37 Volume 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.”
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Dahunsi, who had no legal representation in the court, explained to the court that he regained his ‘sanity’ after he had committed the act, insisting that he killed his wife in error and begged the court for mercy.
He said, “We only had a quarrel over our children’s school fees. I never knew when I macheted her. It was after she died that I realized what I had done. Please have mercy on me and help me beg my children.”
Asked by the court if the deceased did not cry for help during the assault and why he did not stop after the first cut, Dahunsi replied “She (his wife) cried for help but at the point of macheting her, her cry sounded like that of a goat. So, I thought I was actually killing a goat. It was after killing her that my eyes became clear and I ran away.
“I didn’t understand how it all happened. Please have mercy on me.”
The prosecuting police, Mr Suleiman Abdulateef, told the court that he had filed an application for the remand of the defendant in the prison custody pending the advice from the office of the Director for Public Prosecution.
In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs Charity Adeyanju, granted the prayer of the prosecutor and ordered the remand of the defendant in the correctional centre ( prison) pending the advice from the DPP.
She also adjourned the case till January 13, 2020.