Man who allegedly beat pregnant wife to death remanded

An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama yesterday ordered that a 37-year-old man, Mathew Ankyoor, who allegedly beat his pregnant wife to death should be remanded in Kuje prisons pending determination of his bail application.

Ankyoor had been in prison since August 29 when he was earlier arraigned before a vacation judge of the FCT High Court, Justice A.O. Ebong, on a three-count charge bordering on culpable homicide punishable with death by the FCT Commissioner of Police.

When he was re-arraigned yesterday before Justice Peter Affen, Ankyoor’s counsel, Barrister Ocheme Adama, applied to the court to grant his client bail to take care of the three children left behind by his late wife, among other things. But the application was adjourned to November 16 for ruling.

“In the interim, the defendant shall be remanded in Kuje prison custody pending the hearing and determination of the motion for bail,” he said.

The police had alleged that Ankyoor, a resident of Lugbe Zone 5 Village, Airport Road, Abuja, had on or about June 5 at about 8:30pm committed a criminal offence by causing the death of one Doosur Ankyoor, who was with an eight months pregnancy, by beating her up severely and throwing her face to the ground with intention of causing her death.

He was also accused of causing the death of unborn child. He was further alleged to have committed criminal offence to wit: preventing a child from being born alive on the said date by beating up the deceased, throwing her face on the ground and caused the death before the birth of her child with the intention of preventing the child from being born alive.