The Rising Death Toll of Women In Abusive Marriages

Domestic violence remains one of the most dehumanising violations of human rights against women, yet society often turns a blind eye until it is too late. Especially when it occurs within the sanctity of marriage, countless women bury their pain in silence behind closed doors, often discouraged by the nonchalant attitude society displays toward abused women.

One such devastating case occurred recently in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where a married woman, Glory Uwak, was allegedly murdered by her husband, Leo Ubong Uwak, in a case of domestic violence.

Sharing more shocking details about the 43-year-old deceased woman, her employer, Roberta Edu, took to social media to spotlight the grim reality surrounding the incident.

According to Edu, she assisted Glory’s family in filing a police petition and funded the autopsy, which confirmed a deep crack in her skull, blood that flowed from the fracture into her throat, and other abnormalities.

She noted that the results clearly revealed Glory did not die a natural death. Despite mounting evidence, Edu reported that there were attempts to bribe the police, prompting her to escalate the case to the Police Headquarters in Abuja due to local corruption.

Tragically, Glory’s own family later withdrew from the case and sided with the suspect, claiming he was incapable of such violence.

Related: When Girlhood Is Reduced To Wifehood: The Hidden Trauma We Ignore

Their action prompted Edu to withdraw her support, leaving the matter unresolved. Soon after, Ubong was released and was later seen online seeking a new wife while his deceased spouse is still in the morgue and is not even buried yet. Her funeral is scheduled for next month, on August 2.

Aside from her family, another group that deeply failed her was her local church , the very place she called home. According to Edu, about 80% of the church members were aware that Glory was in an abusive marriage.

Yet, after a superficial investigation, the church leadership fell silent.

Some members even backed out of testifying, fearing backlash. One leader, who had previously suspended the abuser for similar behavior, later denied any knowledge of the abuse.

Consequently, numerous women find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place in similarly abusive situations.

For instance, in January, 2025, a mother of five boys, Blessing Nwaka, was set ablaze by her husband, Mr Sunday Nwaka in Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, as seen in a viral video online.

According to reports, the middle-aged man doused her with fuel and set her ablaze following a disagreement.

On the 10th of March 2025, authorities from the Akwa Ibom State Police Command apprehended a 42-year-old man, Victor Okoh, over the alleged murder of his wife, 38-year-old Victoria Okoh, at their residence in Oron LGA.

In Ogun State, 36-year-old housewife Josephine Isaac was reported dead following an alleged stabbing by her husband during a domestic dispute.

While in Bauchi State, a twenty- four year old, Wasila Abdulahi, lost her life after her husband, Nuru Isah, reportedly flogged her to death over Ramadan food on Saturday March 1, 2025.

These cases highlight a disturbing trend: an increasing number of Nigerian women in abusive marriages are losing their lives at the hands of their spouses, often after enduring years of unreported violence.

Despite mounting evidence in many of these cases, justice remains out of reach due to systemic failures, societal indifference, and deeply ingrained cultural and religious norms that prioritize silence over accountability.

Worrying Statistics of Spousal Homicide

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2020 saw the tragic loss of 81,000 women and girls worldwide, 47,000 of them killed by intimate partners or family members.

That means, every 11 minutes, a woman is murdered in a place that should have been her safe haven: her home.

In a research traced to the work of Chukwuemeka Okoye and his colleagues, as cited in a 2024 theology article analysing spousal homicide in Nigeria, there has been a significant rise in such cases, so much so that an estimated 300 to 350 women are killed annually by their husbands or boyfriends.

Similarly, the alarming rise in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases across Nigeria and particularly in Akwa Ibom State, the Secretary of the Gender-Based Violence Management Committee, Barrister Emem Ette, revealed that from 2021 to 2024, the Committee, empowered by law through the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Department in the Ministry of Justice, has handled 1,467 SGBV cases, including 520 incidents of spousal battery.

Why Do Women Stay In Abusive Marriage 

Just like Glory, many of these women have been indoctrinated for decades with religious dogma.

In an interview session with crystal express, a focal person in Women in Mediation Network, Mrs Chidinma Joe said such a factor makes women believe that enduring their abusive husbands is akin to laying down their lives for Christ, so to them, divorce is failure.

She noted that there are also some tragic cases, where church committees advise women to satisfy their abusive husbands sexually, as a way to “calm” their aggression. In such dreadful situations, some women find themselves sinking deep into a pool of mystery within themselves.

Carrying a research on domestic violence among women in Nigeria, Omowumi Okedare and Olufunmilayo Fawole wrote that in Nigeria, many women stay in abusive relationships because of their children, societal expectation to remain married and lack of social support system.

Aligning with this thought, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Charles Umeh told Punch Health Wise that culture, religion and financial dependence are strong factors why women find it difficult to leave abusive relationships and marriages.

He noted that lack of support and blame from family members and religious bodies, make women more helpless in deciding to leave.

Sharing her thoughts, femicide researcher, Ololade Alayi, hinted that the lack of specific legislation on femicide, as well as delayed trials in some cases, has contributed to women staying in marriage and this has led to men acting with so much impunity when perpetrating these acts against women.

Call To Action 

To tackle the issue of spousal homicide, Barrister Emem Ette emphasised the need for specialized courts and judges dedicated to handling gender-based violence (GBV) cases. Similarly, Ololade Alayi called for swift prosecution of offenders. According to the femicide researcher, cases involving husbands who murder their wives should result in either a death sentence or life imprisonment within a year of trial.

Ette added that the government should continue empowering GBV survivors through skill acquisition programmes and vocational training, while also launching intensive campaigns to combat gender-based violence by non-governmental organizations across the country.

Regarding support for women in abusive marriages, the Project Coordinator of the Women in Mediation Network, Linda Bernard, emphasises the need for women experiencing spousal battery to find the courage to separate from their husbands and pursue healing through therapy. She also urges churches and family members to support these women, rather than sending them back to their abusers, and to report the perpetrators to the appropriate authorities.