A 65-year-old man, Uchechukwu Nweke, has allegedly shot and killed his wife, son, and himself in Umuiyom Village, Amanuke in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra state.
The incident occurred at about three o’clock in the early hours of Thursday.
The man also set his building ablaze before shooting himself in the mouth.
When Radio Nigeria arrived at the scene of the incident, sympathizers gathered in their numbers as they took pictures of the three persons while expressing shock over the incident.
The man’s building had been totally burnt with the entire property as it was set ablaze around three o’clock in the morning when residents were still asleep.
Investigation reveals that the man, Uchechukwu Nweke had been complaining to neighbors that his wife and children had been maltreating him to the point that he threatened to do something disastrous.
An eyewitness and close neighbour, Chief Sampson Okoye narrated that he heard two gunshots , few minutes later the deceased came to him complaining that the wife and children refused to release money for him to get his lab result for medical treatment arising from the last beating he received.
Mr Okoye said that he appealed to the hunter to go back home that the matter will be resolved in the morning without even knowing that the gunshots he heard earlier was when the wife and son were killed.
“I was in my house when I heard gun shots, I came outside and noticed people running, after a while my friend the deceased came to my house with receipts, he said it was for lab test he did at General hospital Amaku, that the family refused to give him 12,000 to carryout treatment. I did not even know that he had killed two of his family members, so I told him to go home that we will talk later in the morning. But he went back home and shot himself after setting the house ablaze.”
Corroborating the findings, the chairman of Vigilante in Amanuke, Chief Charles Nnanwube said he had intervened on several occasions when the late Mr Nweke brought complaints of inhuman treatment from his first wife and children .
Chief Nnanwube while expressing shock over the unfortunate incident cautioned residents of the area especially mothers to desist from instigating their children against other members of their families but rather embrace peaceful resolution of internal issues.
“I was just telling the people especially wives not to instigate their children against their father or other family members. This is really a sad situation. The man came to me two weeks ago and complained, I called all of them and resolved the matter, but few days later, they chased the man out from his room again. He told them that one day he will do something drastic and this is it. So unfortunate”.
Confirming the incident , the police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, Mr Haruna Muhammed said an investigation was ongoing to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident.