According to a report by Punch Metro, the family of a girl, Confidence Nwanma, allegedly killed by her boyfriend has declared that the killer boyfriend must marry the corpse of the deceased in line with the tradition of the family.
Nwanma was allegedly stabbed to death last week by her boyfriend Saliu Ladayo at Oshinle area of Akure, the Ondo State capital following a disagreement that ensued between them. The alleged killer has, however, been arrested by the men of the Ondo State Police Command.
The deceased’s father, Mr. Jude Nwanma, who spoke with journalists at their residence at Oke Aro, Akure, said the traditional rites must be performed in their hometown in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State before burying the late daughter.
Nwanma explained that failure to perform the traditional rites would bring calamity to the family of Ladayo.
He said, “In our place, it is mandatory that the man must marry the corpse of our daughter killed in cold blood. We must perform the normal traditional rites by taking the corpse to our village where the marriage would take place.
“It is mandatory that he pays everything in double the normal way because he brought our daughter dead for marriage. He would perform all the traditional rites before our family would let him go. This is because, without this traditional rites, every young person from the family of the boy would never get to the age of our daughter, but must die a sudden death just like our daughter.
“This is not our making, it is the tradition of our ancestors even before we were born. Our people all over the world are waiting for the court judgment. Any way it goes, the boy must perform the marital rites to our daughter’s corpse before anything.”
Meanwhile, the killer boyfriend, Ladayo, who was paraded at the headquarters of the state police command, said the devil pushed him to kill his girlfriend, Confidence.
Narrating how the incident happened, the 24-year-old man said, ” When she came to my house, some people on the street had earlier told her that I came to the house with another woman. She was so annoyed with me that she started cursing me that if I make love with another girl, I won’t make it in life.
“She left and when she came back to me later, I asked her to forgive me and reverse the curses but she refused and I seized her phone. We were both inside dragging the phone and I didn’t know what came over me, I just went to take a knife and stabbed her to death.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Joseph said the suspect would soon appear in court.