An Enugu-based woman, Chinonso Echegi, whose left hand was allegedly cut off by her husband, has narrated about the domestic violence she endured at his hands.
Chinonso, during a recent interview with BBC Pidgin alleged that her husband started beating her, when she is a nursing mother.
The lady further disclosed that her husband’s violent behaviour forced her to flee to her father house with her baby for two years, during which time her husband burned all her belongings and clothes.
Chinonso said he, however, later apologized and promised to change, prompting her to return to him in September 2024.
“There was a time my husband beat me while I was still a nursing mother. I carried my baby and ran to my father’s house, where I stayed for two years,” she said.
“My husband burned all my belongings, including the clothes I used to sleep in. He came to beg and my people told him what he needed to do, and he did everything. Then they told me to go back to him. So, in September 2024, I returned to his house.”
She alleged that the beatings continued, after she came back to his house, with her husband selling their crops and breaking her phone.
Chinonso’s husband threatened to kill and cut off her hand if she goes out to buy another phone. However, she bought another new phone but kept it hidden in her village.
She said the situation escalated and she ran to her in-laws’ house, only to be cornered by her husband when she returned home to prepare for church.
According to Chinonso, her husband initially aimed for her head but missed when she defended herself with her hands, resulting to the loss of her hands.
She said she escaped and sought help from a relative’s house. She also said her husband, who had fled into a bush, was later caught and handed over to the police.
“So I ran to my in-laws house. When I came back home to prepare for church, he held me and used the knife to cut my hand. He tried to cut off my head, but I used my hand to defend myself and he cut it off,” she said.