Husband Killed While Dredging Sand – Enugu Widow’s Tragedy

A Tragic Loss

Twenty-seven-year-old Nkiruka Okeke, a mother of four, shares her heartbreaking story with Grace Edema about the tragic death of her husband, Oluzuluike. He was stabbed by suspected herdsmen while working near a stream in Obuovia community, Enugu State.

Life and Work

Nkiruka works as a seller of okpa, a local delicacy made from Bambara nuts, along the Enugu expressway. She lives in Onoli community, also along the expressway. The area is known for petty trading, farming, and sand-dredging jobs. This was where she and her husband lived.

The Death of Her Husband

Oluzuluike was 33 years old and worked manually, mostly dredging and packing sand from streams or riversides for building purposes. He would take the sand to the roadside for buyers. It was hard work, but it was how he provided for their family.

The Attack

The incident happened on Friday, October 3. Nkiruka recalls that her husband left early in the morning, telling her to prepare the children for school before he went to work. That was the last time she saw him alive.

Not long after he left, a man ran to their house shouting her name, asking her to hurry. He said her husband had been taken to the hospital. She was confused and terrified. When she asked what happened, he said her husband was stabbed by herdsmen.

She ran straight to the hospital and saw her husband lying there. He managed to speak briefly and said, “The herdsmen stabbed me in the chest.” Those were his last words. After that, he couldn’t speak again.

The doctors said he needed to be transferred immediately to the University Teaching Hospital, but before morning, he died. That’s how she lost him.

Details of the Injury

Yes, she did see the injury herself. He was stabbed in the chest. That was the only wound on his body; there were no other injuries.

What Was Taken?

No. His phone, bag, and work tools were all found where he usually worked. Nkiruka says her husband was very careful. He kept his bag and money safely hidden whenever he worked. He only carried his shovel and basin when digging sand.

How Did People Find Out?

After being stabbed, her husband managed to run to the roadside. He met a man who sells gas near the expressway and begged for help. He told the man that he was stabbed by herdsmen. That was all he could say before collapsing. The man quickly rushed him to the hospital.

By the time she arrived, he was still alive but very weak. He looked at her, repeated those words about the herdsmen, and then fell silent.

Timing and Location

According to the doctor and witnesses, the attack happened around 1 p.m. He had eaten at a canteen near the expressway before going to work. The attack happened at Obuovia, near a stream where he usually worked.

It’s not a public stream for fetching water; it’s mostly surrounded by farmlands and not deep inside the bush. People go there to wash, fetch water for farm work, or bathe before going home. It’s close to the expressway and not far from where people live. That’s why she still doesn’t understand how nobody saw the attackers clearly that day.

Working Alone

Most times, yes. That was his usual spot. Some passersby knew him and often greeted him. That Friday, they saw him earlier in the day but later heard what had happened. The place isn’t far from where people farm or walk to the market.

Any Arguments?

No, never. Nkiruka describes her husband as a peaceful man. He didn’t fight with anyone. If he had, maybe his body would have shown signs of struggle. But the only wound he had was the stab to his chest.

Was It Planned?

She doesn’t know. Sometimes she feels maybe they had been targeting him. That place is open, and people pass by often. Maybe they were hiding and waiting to attack someone. She just doesn’t know. But she believes God sees everything.

A Kind and Hardworking Man

He was kind and hardworking. He struggled every day to feed them. Even when they had nothing, he remained a good man. Losing him like this is unbearably painful.

Children and Their Lives

Nkiruka has four children: three boys and one girl. Her first child, a girl, is eight years old. Her second, a boy, is seven. The third is four, and the youngest is three years and three months old.

Coping Emotionally

It’s not easy. They cry sometimes. Her second son is currently unwell; his temperature is high. She took him to the pharmacy, and they gave him an injection, but he’s still weak and not eating much. She wants to take him to the hospital, but she doesn’t have the money right now.

Surviving Without Him

It’s been extremely tough. She cries every day. Some neighbours bring food or money when they visit, that’s how they’ve been surviving. The children are still small; they don’t understand everything yet, but they know their father is gone.

Education and Hope

She wants them to go to school. That was her husband’s dream too. Even if she suffers, she will make sure they are educated. She doesn’t want them to go through what they did. She doesn’t know how she’ll pay their school fees now, but she believes God will send help.

Wishes for Justice

All she wants is justice for her husband and protection for people like her. She prays that God gives her the strength to take care of her children. She has no one else; her hope is in God alone.

Community Struggles

Her community has been dealing with herdsmen for a long time. They move around the farmlands, and nobody can go there freely. They destroy crops, and when people challenge them, they attack. Even now, everyone is afraid. Many people have stopped farming. If you go there, you might not return.

Government Response

She would beg the government to come to their rescue. She believes the government should send security operatives to drive these herdsmen out of their villages. People are hungry, poor, and scared. There’s no safety, no farming, nothing.

Support from Others

They come to console her, bringing little food or some money. But everyone is struggling. She can’t depend on them. She keeps praying that God will help her raise these children. It’s not easy at all.

Final Thoughts

She wishes for justice for her husband and protection for people like her. She hopes this never happens to another woman. Her husband did not deserve to die like that. He only went out to work to provide for his family.