A horrific incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when a man identified as Lawrence Uzor attacked his wife with a knife, removing her eyes. The attack took place in their home in Umueze Ibeku community, a suburb of Umuahia.
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The victim, whose name has not been released, was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Umuahia, where she is currently receiving treatment.

The landlady of the apartment, Madam Lovejane Nwaiwu, who was alerted by the victim’s cries and rushed to the apartment, was also injured during the attack but managed to escape.

The landlord, who said the victim was asleep during the attack, narrated her harrowing experience to the wife of the Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti, who visited the victims at the hospital on Monday.

Nwaiwu detailed the events leading up to the attack, including Uzor’s unusual shouting and the victim’s desperate cries for help. Despite her attempts to alert neighbours, she was forced to call community vigilance for assistance, leading to Uzor’s apprehension.
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She described how Uzor, armed with a knife, attempted to behead her, but she managed to fend off the attack, sustaining injuries in the process.

She said, “About 10 pm on Saturday, I heard the man shouting ‘Odogwu, Odogwu (mighty, mighty)’. I was worried as I had not heard the man and his wife, Amarachi Lawrence praying like that.

“I started praying for them. After that, I couldn’t sleep until about 12 am and was restless. At about 1 am, the wife, who is a teacher in a private school started shouting, ‘Mummy, I have been killed’.

“I opened my door, came out and peeped through their bedroom window and saw the man pressing down on the wife with a knife in his hands.”

She added that at that point she started rallying their neighbours “but nobody came out or responded.”

However, when efforts to get help from neighbours failed, the landlady said she went to their “parlour door” and started knocking on the door and suddenly, he opened the door while holding the knife and tried giving me cuts at the head. But I defended my head with my hand and he cut me at the hand and further slashed the knife at my face that incidentally cut me at the mouth and many of my upper teeth came out.”

Mrs Otti expressed her shock and sadness over the incident. She vowed to seek justice for the victims and condemned the act of violence. She also donated funds for the victims’ treatment and promised continued support.
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The Medical Director of FMC, Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, represented by Mrs. Aisha Onyemaobi, assured that the hospital would provide the best care to ensure the victims’ recovery.

Tutus Ambrose Jonah, Chairman of the Umueze Ibeku community and General Manager of ASEPA Umuahia Zone, condemned the barbaric act and called for justice.

He noted that the incident was unexpected, as Uzor had recently visited a prayer house and a local stream before the attack.

The community and officials are calling for a thorough investigation and justice for the victims of this shocking incident.

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