A 42-year-old man, identified as Nkwuda Chukwudi Vincent, has allegedly cut his cousin’s throat over argument of cut down tree branches.
Vincent, a native of Ndiogbu in Ndieze Autonomous Community, in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, allegedly cut off his cousin, Nkwuda Chukwuka’s throat for demanding some branches of a felled tree.
According to DAILY POST the incident occurred on Monday, April 29, when the suspect, Vincent cut down a tree on the boundary of their family land.
The report stated that Vincent is an assistant catechist of St Samuel Station, Ndiogbu, in Ndieze Autonomous Community, Ebonyi State.
According to the victim, Chukwuka, who spoke to DAILY POST from his hospital bed on Tuesday at Sudan Missionary Hospital, Iboko,said his cousin wanted to kill him. He said, “trouble ensued when I found my cousin, Vincent, cutting down branches of a tree on our family land.
Narrating his ordeal, Chukwuka said, “It was on the weekend that I went to our land where I found my cousin cutting sticks from a particular tree. And since the tree was on our land, I asked him who authorized the cutting.
“Vincent claimed it was on my father’s directive. But when I asked for an equal share of the sticks, he became aggressive. The exchange of words, however, led to a fight.
“When it became clear that he was about to attack me with a cutlass, I used a log of wood to defend myself. But to my surprise, he struck my throat with the cutlass. It’s by the grace of God that I survived.”
Chukwuka, expressing disbelief at his cousin’s action, therefore, called on family members and community leaders to investigate the matter. He insisted that justice must be served by punishing the offender.
“I’m grateful to be alive to tell the story. And I believe both of us belong to the same community and family. They should ensure that justice is done in this matter. And the perpetrator is punished to deter anyone from such aberrant behavior in the future,” Chukwuka said.
A member of the family, Nkwuda Jude Ginika, who confirmed the incident described it as horrific. He added that they are still treating the victim to ensure he recovers from his injuries.
He, however, clarified the family’s stance on the attempted murder. “The matter has been reported to the security agency, and the Iboko Divisional police have taken records of the incident. He reiterated that the offender would be punished according to the traditions of the people.
