Barely eight months after their wedding, tragedy has struck a young couple in Ohuru-Isimmiri community, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, following the alleged stabbing of the husband, Mr Innocent Nwaorji, by his wife, Mrs Serah Innocent.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after 10pm on Saturday, August 8, 2026, following a domestic disagreement said to be connected to the use of a mobile phone.
The woman was subsequently arrested by the police after neighbours and the couple’s landlord were alerted and efforts were made to save the victim, who had sustained a stab wound to the chest.
The couple reportedly got married in December 2025 at St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral.
Narrating the incident, the deceased’s younger brother, Mr Nnadozie Samuel Nwaorji, said he was alerted to the incident by the priest of the couple’s church.
Nnadozie said he received a call from the priest shortly after 10pm on Saturday informing him that his brother had been involved in a serious altercation with his wife and that she had allegedly used a kitchen knife on him.
According to him, he immediately travelled to the community despite the difficulties posed by the late hour, but upon arrival, he could not find his relatives and proceeded to the Ohuru-Isimmiri Police Station.
“On Saturday night, the 8th of August, around past 10 pm, a call came to my phone. When I checked it, it was from their priest. When I picked up the call, he told me that my brother had a serious issue with his wife to the extent that his wife used a kitchen knife on him.
“I thought it was a minor issue, but however, I set out despite the difficulties that night. When I got to that place, I saw no one, so I had to move to the Ohuru Isimmiri police station, and it was already 12 midnight. It was when I got there that a certain police man told me that they had carried my brother to the SDA Hospital.”
He said it was at the police station, around midnight, that he was informed that his brother had been taken to the Seventh-day Adventist Hospital for medical attention.
Nnadozie said a police officer later informed him that the victim was rejected by the SDA Hospital and Living Word Hospital before he was eventually taken to a teaching hospital, where a doctor confirmed him dead.
His remains were subsequently returned and deposited at the SDA Hospital mortuary, he added.
The deceased’s younger brother described him as a respected member of his community in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area and said he was not known to be violent.
He expressed shock when he visited the police station the following day and allegedly heard the suspect claim that her late husband used to beat her.
Nnadozie said the suspect told him that the couple had a disagreement that night over phone use after the deceased reportedly cautioned her that the phone was disturbing him.
He further alleged that the woman later used a knife to stab her husband before raising an alarm and alerting neighbours.
According to him, the couple’s landlord subsequently contacted the police, who arrested the woman while neighbours attempted to save the victim.
Confirming the incident, the Abia State Police Command said it received a report at the Ohuru-Isimmiri Police Divisional Headquarters on August 9, 2026.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, said in a statement that Mrs Serah Innocent of Ohuru-Isimmiri Village allegedly stabbed her husband in the chest with a kitchen knife during a misunderstanding the previous day.
She said the victim was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by a medical doctor.
“The scene of the crime has been visited, the corpse deposited at the mortuary for autopsy, and the suspect is currently in police custody,” Chinaka said.
She added that discreet investigation into the incident was ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID.
The police did not disclose further details about the alleged domestic dispute or the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.
