Man kills wife with hammer, commits suicide

A middle-aged man, whose identity was given as Patrick Markson, has allegedly committed suicide after killing his wife with a sledge hammer in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
  
The incident, which happened at the couple’s residence in Yenagoa on Thursday morning, left many of their neighbours in shock and disbelief. It was gathered that Markson, who was a civil servant with the Yenagoa Local Government Area, allegedly hit the wife’s head with a sledge hammer while she was asleep and watched her bleed to death.
  
After watching his wife bleed to death, the man was said to have swallowed a poisonous substance suspected to be a popular insecticide. Confirming the sad incident, the spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, said operatives of the command had evacuated the corpses of the man and woman.
  
He said the incident happened at Odede Street, off Tombia-Amassoma Road, Yenagoa. He said: “Preliminary investigation reveals that one Patrick Markson ‘m,’ 46 years, a native of Onopa, Yenagoa, attacked and killed his wife, Hannah Markson ‘f,’ with a hammer. Thereafter drank a poisonous substance, which led to his death.
 
“Photograph of the scene were taken, the hammer and bottle of the sniper were recovered as exhibits. Investigation is ongoing.”