The Police Command in Benue has confirmed the killing of a man and his three children by his wife, who also took her life.
“The man, Mr Nicholas Adetsav, a staff of Makurdi Local Government Council, and his children, were killed on Friday night in Makurdi. His wife, who we believe is responsible for the death of the quartet, also killed herself.
“From information available to us, the woman has been having issues with her husband which might have culminated into this,” Mr Moses Yamu, the command’s spokesman, told newsmen Saturday in Makurdi.
Yamu said that the couple, who lived at Vandeikya street, were both staff of Makurdi Local Government Council.
“They have been having issues; just yesterday(Friday), the woman was seen with a pestle trying to smash her husband’s car. No one knows the cause of their frequent fights.”
He said that Police personnel sent to the house found the man foaming in the mouth, the three kids already dead, while the woman, also dead, was found holding a knife in her hands.
“The incident happened around 8:30 p.m. on Friday; from what we have gathered, the couple fight on daily basis,” he said.
Yamu said that investigation had begun toward determining the reasons for the actions, while the corpses had been deposited at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Hospital, Makurdi.
The Adetsavs on their wedding day
The Chairman, Makurdi Local Government Council, Mrs. Akange Audu, confirmed that the couple were employees of the local government council.
“The husband worked in the Department of Finance while his wife worked with the Department of Agriculture,” she said.
She also confirmed that the couple “were always fighting”, adding that the woman had warned neighbors to stay off their fights.
A cross section of the neighbors, who spoke to newsmen, said that the couple had been having issues.
They said that the couple had been fighting since Friday afternoon, but no one appeared sure of the cause of their fights.
One of the neighbors said that she stopped intervening in their quarrels when Mrs. Adetsav threatened her with a knife during one of such interventions.
