A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court on Friday, ordered one Matthew Bem to be remanded in a correction centre, Makurdi, for allegedly killing his wife, Mngusonum Bem.
The 42-year old farmer, who lives at Korinya Settlement in Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue, was charged with culpable homicide. However, the Chief Magistrate, T.K. Atta, did not take his plea for want of jurisdiction. Atta adjourned the matter until December 20, 2023, for further mention.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp Godwin Ato, told the court that the case was transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarter, Tse-Agberagba, on October 26, 2023, via a letter dated same day.
Ato said the letter stated that on October 24, 2023, information was received from the officer-in-charge of Korinya Police Station that a man had killed his wife.
The letter stated that on that same fateful, October 24, the defendant and his 30-year old wife engaged in a fight and in the process, the defendant picked a knife and stabbed his wife, who bled to death on the spot. The prosecutor said the defendant was arrested during police investigation and he voluntarily confessed to committing the crime.
He said the offence contravened section 222 of the penal code law of Benue, 2004.