Benue: Man fatally stabs housemaid, retired nurse

A young man who broke into the home of Mrs. Esther Amali, a retired nurse, and her housemaid, Mercy Mwuese, in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, killed them both with stabbings.

An eyewitness reports that the incident occurred on Sunday at approximately 4:30 p.m.

The housemaid, who was in her 20s, was attacked by the suspected murderer when she entered the compound while the retired nurse was away.

There were two different explanations for why the alleged killer broke into the home.

One version said that one of the rival cultists, who had supposedly killed one of their members, had impregnated the housemaid.

According to a different account, the deceased’s housekeeper and the suspected murderer had a falling out over his friend, whom Mercy had accused of being the father of her unborn child and the reason behind her pregnancy.

PUNK Metro discovered that the alleged killer had repeatedly forewarned the deceased housemaid to cease identifying his friend as her baby’s father.

When the retired nurse was not home, the attacker allegedly climbed a fence to get inside the house.

The retired nurse returned home and was met with a loud noise from the housemaid, according to the eyewitness, just as the attacker was stabbing her.

“As soon as the retired nurse entered and heard the housemaid’s cry, she rushed in only to see a young man stabbing Mercy (the housemaid)” the witness stated.

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“Mama began pleading and calling for the suspected murderer to stop, but he would not listen. He proceeded to stab Mercy until she lost consciousness, at which point he turned to face Mama and stabbed her again.

“The suspected murderer had escaped before assistance could reach Mama, the retired nurse.

However, the housemaid and Mama were driven to the hospital by neighbours who promptly made transportation arrangements. On the way to the hospital, Mama managed to recount the incident in passing, though she was out of breath.

She sadly passed away before arriving at the hospital, so she was unable to continue.

“Another neighbour took custody of the baby the housemaid left behind, and their remains were placed at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi.”

The state command spokesperson, SP Catherine Anene, promised to respond to our correspondent as soon as she was contacted.

Her response was brief: “I will get back to you on this.” As of the time this report was filed, she still hadn’t returned.