Builder, children inconsolable after brutal murder of wife in Edo community

The cries of Vivian Wakili's children pleading "Mom, please don't die" tear through the air as they helplessly watch how their mother who, seconds ago , was heading to answer a call at the gate of the compound, was lifeless covered in a pool of his blood.

The August 6 incident in Evbomama community, Edo State has not yet been erased from the minds of children.

Their father, Mr. Frank Wakili, told our correspondent that his children were still traumatized and had yet to return to school after the heartbreaking incident.

But Wakili's attempt to seek justice for his murdered wife had been futile despite providing footage of the scene captured by the CCTV camera in his home.

CCTV footage showed a woman flanked by two people walking towards the gate of the compound. A few steps from the gate, the woman fell backwards, she was hit by a bullet in the upper region of her right chest. The shooter was captured while fleeing the scene.

In video footage Wakili showed to Saturday PUNCH, the woman later identified as Vivian could be seen lifeless with her eyes open covered in a pool of her blood.

In his account of the incident, Wakili said he was in the house when he heard a gunshot. He added that a quick check of CCTV footage showed a man, believed to be the shooter, escaping on foot.

Wakili said, "She was cooking in the house when my son came to call her to tell her that someone was asking for her at the door. She has a big store in the house where she sells groceries and when the store is sometimes closed people would come to the house and say what they wanted to buy and she would sell it to them.

"That day, from the camera, I saw three boys. One of them went to his shop before arriving at the door of the house. They said my son to call mom, a name she went by in the community, that they wanted to buy something. As she walked to the door, one of them shot her through the peephole of the pedestrian gate."

The native of Bauchi State further said that after getting wind of the incident, he went to where his wife was lying and took her to the hospital where his death was confirmed.

Wakili added that he took the body to a morgue and the next day he reported the matter to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department and the case was assigned to the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Cultism Unit.< /p>

He said, “But since that day, nothing has been done. I had to do a clandestine investigation and from there I managed to get some of their numbers (the suspects) who were still available before they went unreachable last week. Police, for more than a month, said they were tracking them but had yet to make any arrests. »

He added that there were no altercations or misunderstandings between his wife and members of the community prior to the incident.

The bereaved husband described the incident as shocking, alleging the perpetrators were members of the community. Wakili added that he has not yet returned home since the incident.

He said, “I was sick. My little girl is traumatized, she is still afraid and for nothing, she will plead not to shoot her. The children are afraid. I haven't entered my house since the day the incident happened because I don't know if they are after my life. I don't know why it happened.

"I want the case and the culprits investigated. I want justice for my wife. I haven't buried her since. She's still in the morgue. ''

Wakili noted that there had been communal clashes in the area between some natives.

He added: "My house is somewhere on the border and two communities are at odds over land in this area. Most of the time we saw the warring parties with guns chasing each other and settle down after a while.''

The grieving husband suggested that the confusion over such clashes could have resulted in the death of his wife.

The builder also alleged that one of the culprits caught in the CCTV footage was a former neighbor who had left the area about six months before the incident.

He added: “My house is on the edge of the Evomama community. I bought the land from the Obenevbebo community. I am not a native of the community. I bought the land and built the house. I don't understand why they killed my wife."

Wakili hoped that the arrest of the culprits would reveal the reason for the murder of his wife.

Furthermore, one of the late Vivian's cousins, Michael Akposheri, said the incident happened four days after she visited the family.

Akposheri, who referenced Vivi...