Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old lady, Sarah Nwankpo, for stabbing her side lover, Igbodike Anthony, to death during an argument over sex.
According to Vanguard, the incident occurred in the victim’s apartment in the Obiri-Ikwerre area of Port Harcourt on December 22, 2023.
Nwankpo, a native of Ezza South LGA of Ebonyi State was said to have sneaked out of her boyfriend’s apartment to visit the Anthony on the day of the incident.
Nwankpo, who is currently detained at the Rivers State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), said she met the victim in Enugu in 2017. However, during her stay in Enugu, she had two children with another man (boyfriend) whom she identified as Joe Ibanga.
“I left Enugu for Port Harcourt in August 2023. In Port Harcourt, I started dating a man, Joe Ibanga. But I always received calls from Anthony, inviting me to come visit him. Sometimes he sent me money for transport. But I declined because of my relationship with Ibanga,” she explained.
“On December 22, 2023, he called again and invited me to come over to his place.
“I took an Okada (commercial motorbike) from my residence in Aluu, to meet with Anthony at Kilimanjaro, by Choba junction. He paid the okada rider N500,” Vanguard quoted Nwankpo as saying.
She said she accompanied Anthony to pay his staff their December salary.
“Thereafter, he took me out to shopping for groceries. We went to his apartment at Mercy-land extension, Obiri-Ikwerre. He told me to prepare a meal for him. He had his shower, ate and we had sex. We recorded the sessions for keeps,” Nwankpo said.
She said that when she told Anthony about her relationship with Ibanga, “he laughed at the idea of me dealing with the challenges of raising children and struggling with a relationship that was not financially rewarding.”
Nwankpo said Anthony offered her marriage and a comfortable life if she discontinued her relationship with Ibanga.
She said he also offered her a managerial job in his company in January 2024.
She said she visited him a week later so that they could begin the plans.
Nwankpo said she lost interest in Anthony’s offers shortly after and she told him she would be leaving his house that evening.
“When I informed him about the sudden change in feeling, he suggested we go to a club and buy shawarma. But I refused, insisting that I wanted to go home.
“After much persuasion from him to spend the night with him, I agreed. I put on one of his pairs of shorts and a shirt and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for us.
“When he finished eating, he told me to caress him. I obliged but later opted out when he demanded sex. I told him I was no longer comfortable.
“My rejection provoked him. He told me to dress up and leave his house. By then it was 10 p.m. I refused to leave and stood up to challenge him. A verbal war ensued.
“He slapped me. I reacted and a fight ensued. He locked the door, picked up a walking cane and threatened to beat me with it. In my confused state, I dialled my boyfriend’s number (Ibanga) and tried to explain to him what was happening and begged him to come for my help. But he hung up and never called back.
“Anthony held me as I tried to open the door. I screamed for help, but no one heard me let alone to rescue me. During the fight, he dropped the walking cane. I reached out for it and noticed that it had a detachable holding head.
“I quickly detached the head and saw that a dagger was attached to it. As he charged at me, I stabbed him with the dagger,” Nwankpo said.
According to the Vanguard, the suspect’s attempt to escape from the scene and abandon the bleeding man was resisted as he held her hair with all his might.
As she made to step out of the apartment and at the same time struggling to release his grip from her head, the owner of the building and his children were alerted.
They were said to have raised the alarm that attracted other occupants who were asleep.
While efforts were being made to rush the dying man to the hospital, some tenants overheard the suspect making calls.
They seized her phone and locked her up in the victim’s apartment until the arrival of a team of police at about 1:am on December 23, 2023.
The suspect was taken into custody while Igbodike was confirmed dead in the hospital.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, who confirmed the incident urged the public to exercise caution in their relationships.
‘’This serves as a reminder that violence is never the answer and can lead to devastating consequences for all parties involved. The investigation into the case is ongoing” the CP stated.
