“I Killed Her Because She Wouldn’t Bathe Me!” — 30-Year-Old Man Confesses to Stabbing Aged Mother to Death in Ebonyi; Court Orders Remand for Horrific Matricide

A wave of disbelief has hit the Abakaliki Magistrate’s Court following the confession of a 30-year-old man who admitted to ending his mother’s life over a trivial domestic disagreement. Ofobuike Damian stood before the court, charged with the murder of his mother, Mrs. Onyema Damian, in a case that has left the Ohatekwe community in Onicha LGA reeling.

The details of the March 19 incident are as bizarre as they are tragic. During the hearing, Damian, who had no lawyer to represent him, “flipped the script” on typical court defenses by openly admitting to the crime. When asked why he did it, he told Chief Magistrate Chinedu Agama that he attacked his mother because she refused to give him a bath. “I don’t know what really happened, but I can remember that I killed her over her refusal to bathe me,” he stated calmly in the courtroom.

The Prosecution, led by Senior State Counsel Mr. David Njoku, explained that the victim died after being stabbed in the back with a knife. This “Solution” to a minor argument has now landed Damian in a correctional facility. Under the Criminal Code of Ebonyi State, the offense carries the heaviest possible penalties, though the court noted that the defendant’s mental state may become a central focus as the case progresses.

Because the Magistrate’s Court lacks the jurisdiction to try murder cases, the Chief Magistrate directed that Damian be held in custody while the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) reviews the evidence. The case has sparked intense debate in Ebonyi regarding the need for better mental health support and the alarming rise in domestic violence across rural communities.