Self-Defense or Murder? How a Woman Killed Her Married Lover After a Day of Romance
A 26-year-old woman, Serah Nwankpo, has been arrested by the Rivers State Police Command for allegedly stabbing her married lover, Anthony Igbodike, to death on December 23, 2023.
The suspect, a mother of two and secondary school leaver, who is currently detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Rivers, told detectives that she acted in self-defense as Igbodike had locked his door to prevent her leaving and brought out a walking cane with a hidden dagger to use it on her.
According to Nwankpo, she met Igbodike in 2017 in Enugu and relocated to Port Harcourt City in August 2023, where she began a new relationship with one Joe Ibanga. She claimed that Igbodike had been wooing and sending her cash gifts, and persuaded her to visit his residence, saying he was separated from his wife and wanted to start a new life with her.
She agreed to meet him on December 22, 2023, around 10am, at Kilimanjaro by Choba junction. They spent the day together, as he paid his staff salaries, took her shopping, and invited her to his apartment at Mercy-land extension, Obiri-Ikwerre.
She said she cooked for him, and they had intimate moments and even made video recordings of their escapades. She said he offered to marry her and make her a manager at his firm, and she agreed to visit him again after a week.
However, things turned sour when he demanded another round of intimacy and she refused, saying she was tired and wanted to go home. She said he became angry and locked the door, and brought out a walking cane that had a dagger inside it.
The Police says “She mentioned the sudden change in feeling to him, but he was not perturbed. To lighten her up, he suggested that they go into town to a club and buy shawarma, but she turned that down, saying she was not in the mood and needed to return home.
“After more attempts at convincing her to stay, she agreed to spend the night. She put on one of his shorts and a shirt at his behest as she prepared dinner for them. It was about 10pm at this time. “When he had finished eating and their discussions had whittled away, he beckoned on her to come to him. As she did, he asked that she should caress him; she obliged but later opted out when he demanded intercourse, as she said she was no longer comfortable.
“Her rejection greatly provoked him, and he asked her to dress up and leave his house. She refused to leave and stood up to challenge him. A verbal war ensued, and he slapped her. She attacked him, and they began tussling and tugging at each other. As the scuffle subsided, he locked the door, picked up a walking cane and threatened to beat her with it. “In that window, she dialled her boyfriend’s number, and when he picked up, she tried to explain the events to him and asked him for help. He hung up and did not call back.
“She then tried to open the door, but Igbodike held her back, and they began another scrimmage. She said she screamed for help, but no one heard her, let alone rescued her.
“In the fighting, he dropped the walking cane, and she reached for it and noticed that it had a detachable holding head. She quickly detached the head and saw that a dagger was attached to it. As he made his way to her, she swung at him with the dagger, stabbing him severally, including a blow to the neck that eventually proved fatal. As he bled out, he weakened.
“She opened the door and tried to escape, but he grabbed her hair and maintained his grip even as she struggled to free herself. At this point, they had gotten out of his apartment, and the ruckus had alerted his landlord and his family.
“The landlord alerted other neighbours, and they lifted Anthony into his own vehicle and took him to the hospital. As they were making plans to leave, they noticed Sarah frantically making a call, she was calling her boyfriend again to tell him the mess she had gotten herself into. It was about midnight at this time.
The neighbours seized her phone and locked her up in Anthony’s apartment as they left for the hospital. Some of them returned after a short while and asked her if she was not paid for her services for her to resort to stabbing her host. As she tried to explain, she was beaten up and locked up again. She spent her time in the room cleaning up the pools of blood in the apartment,” she told the police, who arrived at the scene around 1am that day.
She said it was while she was in custody that she was informed that Igbodike had died.
She also got a visit from four of his family members, who wanted to know exactly what had happened. His wife also visited the police to listen to the cause of her husband’s untimely death.
Reacting to the tragic incident, the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, advised individuals to exercise caution in their relationships and to seek peaceful conflict resolutions.
“It serves as a reminder that violence is never the answer and can lead to devastating consequences for all parties involved. The investigation into this case is ongoing,” he said.
