According to the prosecution, trouble reared its ugly head when the accused person, who was the younger wife, felt that their husband had been expending all his energy and attention on the first wife while neglecting her.

She had allegedly confronted the deceased, Precious when she came out of the room where she slept with their husband and reportedly stabbed her to death in a fit of rage

The incident was said to have occurred on February 4, this year.

Following her arraignment, she had been remanded by an Akure Magistrates’ Court over alleged murder of her rival.

The defendant is the second wife of their husband and a rival to the deceased and the two women reportedly lived in  a room and a parlour apartment with their husband.

The Police Prosecutor, Obadasa Ajiboye, informed the court that the defendant killed the deceased by stabbing her with a knife at her left back side which resulted to her death.

He said that she committed the offence at about 5.00am at Idogun Camp via Ode-Irele in  Ondo State.

The defendant told the court that she is a farmer and claimed to be working on her husband’s farm.

She said that she came to Ondo State in January 2022, from Yorro Local Government area in Taraba State after she could not finish her education due to  financial difficulties.

In the Police First Information Report, the suspect narrated what transpired between her and her rival.

She confessed,” I  married my husband, Paul Nicodemus. I came to  Ondo State in January, 2022 and we were leaving in the same house, I’m a farmer and we have been relating together in harmony alongside the deceased.

“On that fateful day, my husband was earlier with me in the living room, but had to excuse himself on a pretext that we were not free to continue with our love making.”

She stated that she had sat in their living room, waiting for him, but was angered when she discovered that her husband she was waiting for was making love to her rival inside the bedroom.

“I also heard them making derogatory remarks about me. So, I waited in the sitting room for my rival to come out from the room and when she came out , I challenged her over her unkind words.

“Rather than the deceased to be apologetic, she suddenly grabbed my clothes which made me angrier.

“So, I took a knife on the table in our sitting room and stabbed her at the back with the knife,” She explained.

She said immediately the deceased fell down from the impact of the wound which she inflicted on her, sympathizers and the family members rushed her to the hospital adding that on getting to the hospital, the doctor on duty had confirmed her dead.

“It was not my intention to kill her, I over reacted in anger” she said.

The charge sheet read in part,”

“That you, Rebecca Nicodemus, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did kill by stabbing one Precious Nicodemus  with a knife at her left back side which resulted to her death and thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.

The plea of the defendant was not taken but the prosecution made an oral application to remand the defendant in prison custody pending the outcome of advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

According to him, the body of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary.

Counsel to the defendant Mr. E. E Danjuma did not oppose the prosecutor’s application for the remand of the accused person.

In his ruling, Magistrate Damilola Sekoni, ordered the remand of the accused person in police custody and adjourned the case till February 22, 2022 for ruling on remand application.