Chinonso Echegi, an Enugu-based woman whose left hand was allegedly cut off by her husband, has spoken about the domestic violence she suffered at his hands.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Chinonso claimed her husband’s violent behavior started even when she was a nursing mother.
She recalled an incident where he allegedly beat her, forcing her to flee to her father’s house with her baby.
The lady said she stayed there for two years, during which time her husband burned all her belongings and clothes.
Chinonso said he, however, later apologized and promised to change, prompting her to return to him in September 2024.
“There was a time my husband beat me while I was still a nursing mother. I carried my baby and ran to my father’s house, where I stayed for two years,” she said.
“My husband burned all my belongings, including the clothes I used to sleep in. He came to beg and my people told him what he needed to do, and he did everything. Then they told me to go back to him. So, in September 2024, I returned to his house.”
She alleged that the beatings continued, with her husband selling their crops and breaking her phone.
Chinonso said she bought a new phone but kept it hidden in her village, fearing her husband’s threats to kill her and cut off her hand if he found it.
She said the situation escalated and she ran to her in-laws’ house, only to be cornered by her husband when she returned home to prepare for church.
According to Chinonso, her husband allegedly used a knife to cut off her hand. She claimed he had initially aimed for her head but missed when she defended herself.
She said she escaped and sought help from a relative’s house. She also said her husband, who had fled into a bush, was later caught and handed over to the police.
“So I ran to my in-laws house. When I came back home to prepare for church, he held me and used the knife to cut my hand. He tried to cut off my head, but I used my hand to defend myself and he cut it off,” she said.
Daniel Ndukwe, the Enugu state police spokesperson, said during an investigation, the suspects claimed he cut off his wife’s hand because she was having affairs with other men.
Ndukwe said Chinonso’s husband was apprehended with the help of some villagers who recovered the weapon allegedly used to commit the crime.
He added that the state’s commissioner of police has ordered a thorough investigation.