Two neighbors arrested in Abuja over death of 17-year-old boy they beat up for attacking his mum with a machete

Men of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested two suspects in connection with a case of culpable hom!cide that occurred in Byazhin area of the FCT.

A statement from SP Josephine Adeh, spokesperson of the command, says on February 12, at about 11:45 PM, the Byazhin Divisional Headquarters received a distress call reporting that one Chidera Benjamin, aged 16 years, of Byazhin Across, had allegedly inflicted a severe machete injury on his mother during a domestic dispute. Upon receipt of the report, police officers were immediately dispatched to the scene.

‘’Preliminary investigations revealed that two neighbours, Cosmos Okafor, aged 31 years, and Okechukwu Wisdom, aged 17 years, allegedly attacked Chidera Benjamin in reaction to the incident. Further investigations revealed that the confrontation stemmed from allegations that Chidera Benjamin had been transferring funds from his mother’s bank account into his personal Opay account without her consent. When his mother confronted him over the unauthorized transactions, he became v!olent and attacked her with a machete, causing serious injury to her hand.

The two neighbors who witnessed the confrontation between Chidera and his mother att@cked Chidera, for att@cking his mother, during which he sustained severe injuries and became unconscious. He was rushed to Kubwa General Hospital, where he was later confirmed de@d by a medical team. Meanwhile, both suspects were promptly arrested by the Police”

Adeh mentioned that the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, psc., while commiserating with the family, urged residents to always adopt peaceful and lawful means of resolving disputes and refrain from taking the law into their own hands, as actions taken in moments of anger can result in tragic and irreversible consequences. 

She said the suspects are in custody and will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.