Suspicion of Murder: Housewife, pastor Arrested

Nigerian police detectives from the Edo State Police Command have arrested and detained a housewife and her lover, a pastor, over the murder of her husband, Victor Nsongbunyo, a Deputy Manager with the Nigeria Petroleum Development (NPDC) Company, in Benin.


It was gathered that the woman and her deceased husband, a native of Cross River State, who was recently promoted to Deputy Manager in the company and was due to retire from service next year, had been having issues with the paternity of their children after he suspected the wife was having an extra marital affair with the Pastor.

It was also learnt that when he suspected that the pregnancy the wife was carrying was not from him, the deceased visited their home town to complain to his family and his in-laws. Consequently, the families resolved that a DNA test would be conducted after the wife gave birth to the child.

This arrangement, according to sources, incensed the wife, prompting her into plotting to murder her husband with her lover-Pastor.

According to police sources, the deceased returned from work on Friday October 22, 2013, when the suspected killers came and killed him, and put the mutilated body into one of his old cars. The car was driven to Sapele road, Benin, where it was set ablaze with his body.

The following Monday, October 25, the woman was said to have gone to her late husband’s office to report that he was missing. She was also said to have reported the incident of the husband’s death to the police. Thereafter, she went to her husband’s bank where she allegedly withdrew N4milion from his account.

It was further gathered that following information to a staff of the NPDC that a burnt car was sighted somewhere along Sapele Road, they rushed to the scene and found it was the Mr. Nsongbunyo’s car.

Consequently, the NPDC staff went back to the deceased wife at their home to inform her of the finding, but surprisingly, found her sitting comfortably at home watching African Magic, a situation which prompted police suspicion of the woman.

The police were said to have launched a search for the car given to the deceased by NPDC following his promotion, and the car was reportedly traced to a compound at Ekenwan road in Benin.

The police detectives were said to have accosted a lady in the compound where the car was packed and she reportedly informed the police that the car was packed by a Pastor who lives in the compound.

Further investigation by the police led them to observe burns in the Pastor’s left hand and face, even as he (the pastor) reportedly told the police that one of his daughters in the church sowed a seed with the car.

He was said to have led the police to the residence of the said daughter who sowed with the car in his church, but it turned out that it was the residence of the deceased and it was the deceased’s wife.

The police then arrested the pastor and the deceased’s wife, both of whom are now helping the police in their investigation into the murder of Mr. Nsongbunyo.

Edo state Police Commissioner, Mr. Foluso Adebanjo, who confirmed the incident, said “it is a serious crime which we are investigating and until we conclude, disclosing things might jeopardise investigations.”

PM News