Man remanded in prison for killing wife, 3 year-old son

•Surviving child to testify against him
From PETRUS OBI, Enugu
Six-year-old Emmanuel Egeonu, the only survivor of the family of three set ablaze by their father, Alexander Egeonu on October 1, in Enugu has been listed among four witnesses to testify against the accused that has been charged to court for murder.

 Mr. Egeonu was arraigned yesterday at an Enugu Chief Magistrate Court and charged with the murder of his wife late Mrs. Ifeoma Egeonu and three-year-old son, Udochukwu Egeonu.

 Ifeoma, 27, who was set ablaze alongside her two children, Emmanuel (6) and Udochukwu (late), died Tuesday, few days after, Udochukwu died at the same National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu where they had been receiving treatment since October 1, when the incident occurred.
 The seven-month pregnant mother of two was delivered of a premature
 baby who died in an incubator.

 Emmanuel, who had earlier been discharged from hospital was bound over as a witness alongside brother to his late mother, Sunday Ede, and their neighbour, Blessing Eze who forced her way out of the container-shop before Alexander allegedly set fire on it.
 All the witnesses, including a police officer, Jude Agu (ASP), were all bound over at the sum of N100, 000 each to appear at the High Court when hearing on the case commences.

 Remanding the accused person, the presiding magistrate, Anayochukwu Nwankwo noted that no plea would be taken for lack of jurisdiction and ordered that the case file be transferred to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
 He however noted that the accused person has the right to seek for bail at the High Court.
 When the magistrate wanted to know why he set his family ablaze, the accused Alexander Egeonu who stood in the duck told incoherent stories of how everybody wanted him to park out of his residence at No. 61, Mount Street, Idaw-River and how they locked him up in a cell,

 It was the IPO, Jude Agu (ASP), who told the court that the accused had just returned from Amuri, where he went to bring back his wife who left him and retuned to her people.
 According to the IPO, when they got to Enugu, the couple went to Onu-Asata area and picked up their two children from their grand mother and brought them to Mount Street, where he has a shop.

 He said, “he called one woman nearby and started complaining that his wife refused to read a portion of the Bible he asked her to read, but the woman asked them to settle whatever issue that he doesn’t need to force her to read anything.
 “He shouted Eswama, and tried to close the container doors, but the woman forced her way out when smoke started coming out from the shop before Alexander ran out from the shop.”
 Alexander was alleged to have sprinkled petrol on his pregnant wife and two children, aged six and three, set them ablaze inside the container-shop and fled the.

 Meanwhile, counsel to late Ifeoma, her two children and her brother, Sunday Ede, who had earlier written a petition to the police over the incident has expressed reservation over the continued stay of the only surviving son, Emmanuel, with his father’s family.

 Barrister Emeka Awkadigwe, who said he was not informed about the arraignment told our reporter that he had hoped to make an application for the court to withdraw Emmanuel from his father’s people claiming that they were all insensitive throughout their travails at the hospital.
 According to him, “Emmanuel is not safe staying with them; moreover he is a witness in this case.