Man hacks his 68-year-old mother to d3ath with axe, attempts suicide in Anambra
In the tranquil town of Ekwulobia, nestled within Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, a wave of disbelief and sorrow has descended upon the quiet community of Amudo Village. On what seemed like an ordinary afternoon of April 11, 2025, the silence of this semi-urban community was shattered by a tragedy so horrific, so incomprehensible, that even the most hardened residents are still struggling to come to terms with it.
Forty-nine-year-old Nnamdi Anyaji, a native of the village and reportedly a troubled man with a history of psychological instability and financial frustration, allegedly took the life of his own mother, 68-year-old Dorathy Anyaji, in a gruesome act of filicide. Armed with nothing but an axe and a seething sense of betrayal, Nnamdi struck his elderly mother multiple times, ending her life in a pool of blood in their family compound.
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As if the horror of matricide was not enough, the suspect then turned the axe on himself in a failed attempt to take his own life. Alerted by frightened neighbors who heard the woman’s cries for help and saw the bloody aftermath, local police officers arrived promptly to arrest Nnamdi and secure the scene.
This is the heartbreaking story of a fractured family, a broken man, and the mother whose life ended at the hands of the very son she had once nursed into the world.
According to a statement issued by the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, officers attached to the Ekwulobia Divisional Police Station received a distress call at about 1:40 p.m. on Friday, April 11. When they arrived at the residence of the Anyaji family in Amudo Village, they found a scene that would haunt even the most experienced officers.
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The lifeless body of Mrs. Dorathy Anyaji lay in the backyard, blood pooling around her motionless frame. Her skull had been crushed with multiple blows from a sharp object later confirmed to be an axe, which was recovered at the scene. A few feet away lay her son, Nnamdi, bloodied but alive, having inflicted deep gashes on his neck and abdomen in what investigators believe was an attempted suicide.
Witnesses, including neighbors and family members, said the tragedy began with a heated argument between mother and son. The disagreement, they said, centered on proceeds from a recent cassava harvest. According to preliminary police findings, Nnamdi accused his mother of withholding money from their shared farming business, suspecting her of secretly keeping a portion of the proceeds for herself.
“It started as a small argument,” said one neighbor who asked to remain anonymous. “But suddenly we heard shouting, then screaming, then everything went quiet. When we got to the compound, we saw the worst thing we had ever seen.”
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Dorathy Anyaji was known throughout Amudo Village as a kind and hardworking woman. Widowed more than a decade ago, she had singlehandedly raised her four children—two sons and two daughters—despite the immense economic challenges that life in rural Nigeria presents.
“She was a woman of peace,” said Mrs. Chinyere Ezeokeke, a long-time friend and co-farmer. “Always smiling, always willing to share whatever little she had. It’s painful that her life ended like this.”
In her later years, Dorathy had turned to small-scale farming—mostly cassava and vegetables—to sustain herself and assist her grown children when possible. She often sold garri and fufu in the local market and used the proceeds to maintain her modest home and pay for minor health expenses.
“She told me just last week that she was going to use the cassava money to buy new roofing sheets,” said her churchmate, Mr. Samuel Okonkwo. “This same money has now cost her life.”
Nnamdi, the second child and first son of Dorathy, has long been described as troubled and volatile. According to several residents of Amudo Village, he had returned to the village about six years ago after failing to “make it” in Onitsha, where he had lived for most of his adult life.
“Things just didn’t work out for him,” said a cousin, who spoke under condition of anonymity. “He tried several businesses, including spare parts, then transport, then farming. But he always complained of bad luck or people ‘doing him’. He was always paranoid.”
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Those close to the family noted that Dorathy had taken him back in and supported him even when his siblings had given up on trying to help.
“She never turned him away,” said a neighbor, Mrs. Njideka Okafor. “Even when he would shout at her in public, she would say, ‘He is my son. I won’t give up on him.’”
Locals now say that Nnamdi had grown increasingly agitated in recent weeks, often seen talking to himself or muttering about being cheated or cursed.
“He was always pacing up and down,” said Mr. Emeka Nwosu, a shopkeeper on the street. “Sometimes he would say his mother was ‘colluding’ with spirits to block his destiny.”
The police are yet to confirm whether the suspect has a diagnosed mental health condition, but SP Tochukwu Ikenga noted that he is currently under close monitoring “so as not to commit suicide,” and that psychological evaluation may be part of the ongoing investigation.
Ekwulobia, though not a large town, is bustling with commercial activity and has historically enjoyed relative peace. The community has never experienced such a crime in living memory.
“This kind of thing doesn’t happen here,” said Chief Godwin Umeadi, a community leader. “We have cases of theft, sometimes even cult clashes among youths. But for a man to kill his mother? That is abomination.”
In Igbo culture, particularly among the traditionalist segment of the population, matricide is considered a taboo of the highest order—one that taints not just the perpetrator but the entire lineage.
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Already, some voices within the community are calling for spiritual cleansing of the Anyaji compound. Others have even suggested that Nnamdi should not be buried within the community—should he die from his injuries or be executed—lest his “spirit of evil” return to haunt the land.
The Anambra State Police Command has assured the public that justice will be served. In his statement, SP Tochukwu Ikenga affirmed that the suspect, now in custody, will be charged to court upon completion of the ongoing investigation.
Legal experts note that if found guilty, Nnamdi faces a possible sentence of death by hanging, as stipulated under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Act applicable in southern Nigeria.
“Unless the defense can prove insanity or lack of criminal responsibility at the time of the act, this is a clear-cut case of murder,” said Barrister Ifeoma Okenwa, a legal practitioner based in Awka. “But even if he is declared insane, he will likely be committed to a psychiatric facility indefinitely.”
The police have not yet disclosed whether a psychological assessment has been ordered, but pressure is mounting for the authorities to handle the case transparently and with urgency.
While Nnamdi is in custody and Dorathy lies in the village morgue awaiting burial, the rest of the Anyaji family is left grappling with the emotional wreckage. Siblings, nieces, nephews, and extended relatives are mourning the loss of a beloved matriarch while trying to understand what led one of their own to commit such a horrific act.
“This is a nightmare,” said Esther Anyaji, the suspect’s younger sister, who arrived from Nnewi after hearing the news. “We are trying to remain strong, but how do you explain this? What do we tell our children?”
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The family is now divided on the next course of action. Some members are reportedly considering disowning Nnamdi entirely, even petitioning the community to ostracize him permanently. Others, like Esther, believe he needs psychiatric help.
“Maybe he was not well. Maybe this could have been prevented if we had gotten him help earlier,” she said.
While many in Amudo see this incident as a moral or spiritual failure, others are pointing to a larger issue—the growing but largely unaddressed mental health crisis in Nigeria.
According to data from the World Health Organization, Nigeria ranks among the countries with the highest burden of depression and anxiety disorders in Africa, yet access to mental health services remains abysmally low. The country has fewer than 250 registered psychiatrists for a population of over 200 million people.
“There’s still a huge stigma around mental illness,” said Dr. Chuka Mba, a psychiatrist based in Awka. “People don’t seek help until it’s too late—or they turn to religious or traditional solutions that may not address the core issue.”
Dr. Mba believes that with early intervention, tragedies like the one in Ekwulobia could be prevented.
“We must prioritize mental health as part of primary healthcare, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Plans are now underway to give Dorathy Anyaji a dignified burial. The town’s women’s group has taken the lead in arranging a wake and traditional mourning rituals. Her church, the All Saints Anglican Church, has scheduled a memorial service in her honor next week.
“She did not deserve to die like this,” said the church’s vicar, Rev. Nwachinemere Ofoegbu. “But we know she is in a better place.”
As for Nnamdi Anyaji, his fate now rests in the hands of the law—and possibly a psychiatric evaluation that may determine whether he acted in a fit of rage or under the influence of untreated mental illness.
But in the hearts of the people of Amudo, the scars left by this tragedy will take far longer to heal.
