A Makurdi Court has ordered that Matthew Bem, a 42-year-old farmer residing in Korinya Settlement, Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue, be remanded in a correction center in Makurdi on charges of culpable homicide in the alleged murder of his wife, Mrs. Mngusonum Bem.
However, Chief Magistrate Mr. T.K. Atta did not take Bem’s plea due to the court’s jurisdiction.
The case has been adjourned until December 20, 2023, for further proceedings.
According to the Prosecution Counsel, Inspector Godwin Ato, the case was transferred to the court from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Tse-Agberagba, on October 26, 2023, following an incident on October 24, 2023. A letter dated the same day indicated that the defendant engaged in a fight with his 30-year-old wife, during which he allegedly stabbed her with a knife, leading to her death. The defendant was arrested, and he reportedly confessed to the crime.
The charges against the defendant are in violation of section 222 of the penal code law of Benue, 2004.
