A Magistrate Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has arraigned a 30-year-old man, Oforbuike Demian, over the alleged murder of his mother, Onyema Demian, following a domestic dispute reportedly triggered by a refusal to bathe him.
The defendant was brought before the court on Thursday on Charge No. 138/2026, in a case instituted by the Commissioner of Police, over an incident said to have occurred on March 19, 2026, at Ukawu, in Onicha Local Government Area of the state.
According to the charge, Demian allegedly stabbed the deceased in the back with a knife, inflicting injuries that resulted in her death. The prosecution noted that the offence is punishable under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 33, Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.
Police prosecutors informed the court that preliminary investigations linked the fatal incident to a disagreement between the defendant and his mother, who had reportedly declined to bathe him at the time.
The charge was signed by Eze Chinagorom Ndubuaku, Esq., of the Directorate of Legal Services, Police Headquarters, Abakaliki.
Further details presented before the court indicated that the matter was investigated by Inspector Chisom Akwuruoha of the D4 Section, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abakaliki.
In a related submission, the prosecutor, Mr David Njoku, Senior State Counsel, told the court that the defendant committed the offence at Ohatekwe, Ukawu, within the same local government area.
He reiterated that the accused caused the death of his mother by stabbing her in the back with a knife.
The defendant, who appeared without legal representation, reportedly admitted to the act, stating: “I don’t know what really happened, but I can remember that I killed her over her refusal to bathe me.”
However, owing to the capital nature of the offence, the court declined to take the plea of the defendant, citing lack of jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Presiding Magistrate, Mr Chinedu Agama, consequently ordered that the accused be remanded in a correctional centre pending further legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He also directed that the case file and all exhibits be transmitted to the DPP for review.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to April 9, 2026, for mention.
