Recurrent Abuse of Women

It was a Cameroonian musician who sang in pidgin English “between man and woman, no put your mob de…’ meaning that you should not voice an opinion in what concerns a husband and wife. How can I accept such a counsel when it has to do with a matter of life and death? I was served with convocation that requested me to report a police station for a matter of grave importance concerning me. Entering the Commissioner’s office I was greeted by a swollen faced Sophina, her angry husband bundled himself at a Conner of the office, looking at me with murderous eyes as I came in. I knew immediately what the matter was.

It all started when I heard Sophina my neighbor’s wife shouting at the top of her voice and disturbing the neighborhood, I could not help but get to the scene to know what the matter was especially as she sounded as if all the devils in hell were on her. Sophina was engaged in a deadly fight with her husband, plates, spoons and other household utensils were flying from one Conner of the house to the other. I went into action and separated them not without receiving a good dosage of the blows from both ends. The woman was bleeding on most parts of her body; there was blood all over her face that soiled my shirt bringing its short lifespan to a rapid end.

The husband – Mr Tendo while breathing like an athlete suffering from asthma was swearing in the grip of other neighbors who had come in that he was going to rip off my throat when he gets hold of me. Despising such a bully, and with the help of the other neighbors, I rushed the wife to hospital. She was hospitalized for two good days. The story went that the fight erupted when Sophina caught her husband red-handed in their matrimonial bed committing adultery- he was actually in bed with another woman.

Come to think of it, this man boldly served me with convocation from the Police. It was funny to note his desperate efforts to have me detained simply because I prevented him from killing his own wife. I settled down to face a beefy Commissioner of Police who was elated to receive me in his office at such a short notice. This was not the first time I witnessed such inhuman acts inflicted on a woman in my area. Some time back, a man had the wife seriously beaten almost to pulp all because she visited her elder brother without his consent. Another man got the wife beaten just because she accepted a gift of 25,000 FCFA ($50.00) from a high school mate (male).

I gave a statement and at the end of such a boring hearing, I went home determined to burry this recurrent cases of domestic violence against women by such belligerent husbands swarming my neighborhood to a final rest. I was asked to comeback three days later for a continuation of the case. 

I will keep you posted with all developments relating to this case as we move along.