A man identified as Obum has thrown residents of Umuokoto town in Umudibia Autonomous Community in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State into mourning, as he stabbed a pastor of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Thompson Thomas Ugochukwu Onyekuru, to death.
Initially, Obum had stabbed his wife before descending on the pastor who was trying to save her from death.
Obum was said to have accused the wife of trying to kill their only surviving son out of the three children they had since they got married in 2016, claiming she was also responsible for the hardship he was facing.
The man, a tenant and native of Obowo in Imo State, and suspected to be mentally unstable, was said to have stabbed his wife severally before killing the pastor, Onyekuru, who was returning from a meeting of Umuatum two compounds from where he met his death.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident started at about 4pm when Obum’s wife, Ogechi and her one-year-old son were heard screaming for help.
The cry attracted the attention of neighbours and passersby, including youths within the village who noticed the man attacking his wife in their room.
“As the crowd intensified effort to rescue the woman, Obum with a knife, threatened to kill anyone who tried to stop his action,” an eyewitness said.
By the time they succeeded in seizing him, they found the woman covered in the pool of her blood with her face inflicted with bruises.
After successfully rescuing the woman from her husband’s grip, Obum became enraged and started chasing everybody with the blood-stained knife. As Onyekuru made to go, Obum stabbed him at the back.
The eyewitness said Obum’s aggressiveness and stabbing of the pastor coincided with arrival of the police operatives from Nekede/Ihiagwa Divisional Police Station who immediately shot him in the leg.
It was learnt the dispersed youths regrouped and descended on the man with clubs.
It gathered that his wife died minutes later from excessive beating and bleeding, while Obum also died on the way to the hospital.
Confirming the incident, President General of Umuokoto Community Council (UCC) Hon. Charles Anozie said Obum and the pastor were rushed to the hospital where they later died.
