…Victim needs money for surgery as she battles pains
Juliana Francis
A woman, identified as Ikharo Juliana Ekhanorimen has narrated how her husband, Chief Bello Albert Anoghie, allegedly bite off her younger sister’s finger during an altercation, and allegedly chewed and swallowed it.
Juliana, who said that she works and trader at the same time, narrated that on the 7th of April 2023, which was on a Friday, she received a call from her sister.
She recounted: “My younger sister called to tell me that my husband was in the shop fighting her with some other men. She said that he was beating her up and struggling with her to collect the shop’s key.
“I was shocked, so I went straight to the police station at Auchi. I narrated everything to them, and my husband was invited. The Police judged the matter after which we were asked to go home and resolve the matter as a family.”
Juliana said that on their way home, she asked her younger sister to leave the shop and follow her home because she did not want to go home alone.
“I wanted to pack my load from the house because on different occasions he has told me that if I was no longer interested in the marriage I should leave,” Juliana recalled. “For over three weeks, I have not been staying in the house because whenever I come home from the shop, the gate would be locked and whenever I called the landlord, he would not pick up my calls.”
She further said: “If I asked my husband to talk to the landlord, he wouldn’t respond. Sometimes I do lodge in a hotel but along the line, I couldn’t cope because the money was too for me. I had to start sleeping at the shop. This was how I had been sleeping outside the house for the past three weeks and my husband has not deemed it fitting or necessary to find out where I have been or if I was okay or not.”
She explained that on the fateful day of the 6th of April, she went to the compound to move her stuff, to relocate to the village, the landlord, however, refused to allow her to pack.
She said: “The landlord refused, saying that my husband told him not to allow me to pack and that I was stealing his property. The landlord also told me that I am not his tenant and that it was my husband who was his tenant. As we were speaking, with my property outside, I handed the house key over to the landlord since he said that I was not his tenant.
“I gave him the key in presence of some other tenants. I returned to the shop. When Police asked us on that day to go home and settled, my husband requested the house key, I told him that I had returned the key to the landlord, but he said the landlord told him that he was not with the key.”
Juliana said that she was surprised at the landlord’s denial of not being in possession of the key and had asked Anoghie if they should go to confront the landlord together.
However, the landlord maintained his stance, insisting that the key was not with him. Juliana told him to call his other tenants, to ask if they had perhaps found the key after she gave it to the landlord.
The landlord told her that other tenants did not see the key as well. She then told Anoghie to allow her to call people to breakdown the door, so that they could enter the house and for him to see that she did not steal anything
She further narrated: “Immediately I made a move; my husband dragged me back and started beating me. I fell on the ground; my sister was shouting, calling people to come and help because my husband was trying to strangle me. My sister tried to remove his hand from my neck, and before we knew it, he dragged my sister’s hand and bite it off and chew it. We ran back to the police station.
“On getting to the police station, immediately they saw our condition, and they sent us to Hope Clinic. We were treated for five days, while my husband was detained that Friday night.
“On Saturday morning, I was surprised to hear that he has been granted bail. Now my sister’s hand is getting worse, and the pain has not been allowing her to sleep or have peace. I even had to take her to the salon to cut her hair so that she could pour water on her head, maybe it can calm her constant headache.
“I went back to the station; we were referred to the general hospital Auchi. They told us at the hospital that my sister needed surgery and it will cost us N450,000. As I speak with you, we are at Auchi General Hospital with my sister, while my husband, who caused her pain is at home, sleeping peacefully. I need justice. He should be held accountable for his actions.”
In her quest for justice, Juliana ran to the Esther Child’s Rights Foundation, where the Executive Director, Ms. Esther Ekwem vowed to do everything legally possible to ensure the victim gets justice.
Ekwem: “The victim is in pain and she needs surgery. Yes, the matter has been charged to court, but the problem now is the finger the complainant bit off. We were made to understand he bit it off, chewed, and swallowed it! The victim is in hospital for surgery and that surgery is going to cost over N400,000. The victim’s hair was cut because of constant headaches and it is believed it affected her head. All the complainant and victim are asking for right now is justice.”
When our reporter contacted Anoghie to hear his side of the story, he said that the matter was already in court. He further said that he would speak with his lawyer and get back to the reporter, but never did.
Our reporter further contacted him again, asking if she has not heard from him, he told the reporter that she would hear from him within the week, leaving the day and date uncertain.
