Thirty-two-year-old Esther Godday is cooling her heels in the custody of the Rivers State Police Command, for allegedly hacking a woman to death, in her bid to escape with a bunch of plantain she allegedly stole from the deceased’s plantation in Agada, Abua area of Rivers State.
The mother of nine with the tenth child on the way, was said to have abandoned her hungry children at home in search of food, last week Wednesday, January 28, 2024.
Meanwhile, gathered that her husband, Godday, who has been unemployed for several years, usually left the house in the morning and returned at night to sleep.
Penultimate day, while other children were in school, the eight children between ages 2 and 14, who never attended school, bid their mother goodbye with an expectation of getting something to eat on her return.
With an assurance to meet their expectation, the heavily pregnant mother left the house to scavenge for food.
She reportedly sneaked into a plantain plantation in the same community, cut a bunch of plantain with her match, and made to leave the plantation through one of the exit paths.
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But the owner of the plantation identified as Mrs. Imeran Idema, who sighted Esther, reported ordered her to drop the stolen bunch of plantain..
Rather than heed the order, Esther was said to have taken to her heels, with the owner of the plantation chasing after her.
She however stopped when the latter threatened to alert other villagers and reminded her it could lead to her death, considering the offence.
Narrating what transpired, the suspect said, an argument that degenerated into a fight ensued, in the process of which the owner of the plantation “ landed her cutlass on my right foot. She inflicted a deep cut on my foot.
“ I dropped the bunch of plantains and attacked her with my cutlass too”, she said.
In the process, she inflicted deep cuts on the owner of the plantation’s head and shoulder which caused her to slump.
On realising the magnitude of her action, Esther abandoned the stolen bunch of plantain and took to her heels.
But other family members of the dying woman who heard the altercation arrived at the scene and rushed her to the hospital.
Esther was thereafter arrested but released the same day to treat her injured foot.
She was rearrested last week Friday, January 30, 2024, only to be informed by the Police that the owner of the plantation had died from the matchet cuts wound she inflicted on her.
In an emotionally laden tone, she said, “ I wish the hand of the clock could turn back to that day, I would have acted otherwise.. I have been praying daily, wishing I would wake up to discover this is all a dream”, she said, blaming her action on hunger.
The case as gathered, has been charged to court.
Reacting to the matter, Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command, CP Olatunji Disu, advised members of the public to think carefully before making life choices.
He also charged heads of households to procreate within their means.
While highlighting the danger of responding to emotion, the Command boss reminded that “ a crime will always be met with justice regardless of the prevailing circumstances”.
