A senior pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Thompson Onyekwuruu has died while separating a fight between a couple in Owerri, Imo State.
The 62 year old pastor was reportedly stabbed to death as he was trying to stop one Obumneke Onyemechileuzo, from stabbing his wife, Ogechi Onyemechileuzo in Umukoto Nekede, Owerri.
Obum, who hails from Obowo, Imo state and suspected to be mentally unstable, had allegedly locked his wife and her baby in their room where he stabbed her several times.
Report said he accused the wife of trying to kill their only surviving son out of the three children they had since they got married in 2016, claiming she was also responsible for the hardship he was facing.
According to an eyewitness, Ogechi and her one-year-old son were heard screaming for help. The late pastor and other neighbours were said to have come to save the woman.
“As the crowd intensified effort to rescue the woman, Obum with a knife, threatened to kill anyone who tried to stop his action,” one of the eyewitnesses told the publication.
“After successfully rescuing the woman from her husband’s grip, Obum became enraged and started chasing everybody with the blood-stained knife. As Onyekuru made to go, Obum stabbed him at the back.
A passing police patrol team was called to the scene, but he attacked the policemen who were attempting to arrest him. The police then shot him in the leg in order to subdue him.”
Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, July 19, the Imo state police command spokesperson, SP Mike Abattam, said;
“Following a distress call on 19/7/2021 at about 1400 hours, at the Divisional Police Headquarters Nekede, Owerri, that one Obumneke Onyemechileuzo armed with a kitchen knife was beating his wife, Ogechi Favour Onyemechileuzo, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church Owerri, Pastor Thompson Onyekwuru, intervened by stopping him from stabbing his wife. The suspect rushed at him, stabbed him on his back and he fell down unconscious.
“On arrival at the scene, the police team saw the suspect seriously beating his wife, threatening to stab her; the police ran to prevent him from stabbing his wife.
“On sighting the police, he attempted stabbing one of the officers on the neck and he was shot on the leg in self-defence.
“He fell down and was immediately disarmed.”
The police said Obum later died from gunshot wound after he alongside the pastor, was rushed to Rosana hospital where the doctor on call, referred the victims to Human Race Hospital.
Abattam noted that the woman was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital and she is responding to treatment, while the corpses were later deposited at Agbala Mortuary, Agbala.
Adding that the exhibit knife was taken to the station, while the Commissioner of Police had ordered a discreet investigation into the case to unravel the cause of the incident.
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