Nkeruewen Etuk, who beat his lover to death, said that he killed her because she nearly set their apartment on fire by burning the rice she was cooking.
The 54-year-old said that his girlfriend, Esther Ndereke, could not correctly prepare rice, which angered him and caused him to hit her.
While being paraded before reporters, Etuk said he never intended to harm Ms. Ndereke.
“I became increasingly outraged by her failure to cook rice properly, which became a major point of contention between us. She almost burnt down the house while cooking. She didn’t add enough water before turning on the gas and she almost burnt down the house.
“When I asked her why she behaved that way, that was when we started arguing then I beat her up. I never intended to kill her. I have never had any serious issues with her for the past two years that we have been dating.
“Unfortunately, our altercation escalated, resulting in her tragic demise after she slumped during the fight. It was never my plan to kill her. I was only angry because she was careless and almost burnt down someone’s house” he said.
Remember that Etuk was detained by the Cross River Police Command after he was accused of killing his girlfriend in the Calabar South Local Government Area of the state.
On Wednesday, the command’s spokeswoman, SP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the arrest in Calabar.
She claimed that on Tuesday at Abasi Obori Street, a minor argument resulted in the suspect attacking the victim, who was only given the name Ndereke.
Ugbo claimed that after receiving a distress call about the event, the Uwanse Divisional Police Headquarters men made the arrest as soon as they arrived at the spot.
“The police rushed the victim to University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH). Unfortunately, she didn’t make it, as she was certified dead on arrival by the doctor on duty.
“Following established protocols, her remains were deposited in the morgue for autopsy, to shed more light on the exact cause of her death.
“The suspect is already in our custody and we will ensure that he faces the full weight of justice for his alleged action,” the police spokesperson said.
