Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The argument was not new. The father had confronted his son several times before about his consumption of a hard liquor known as Ice, a habit that neighbours said often infuriated the young man. On Thursday, October 1, 2026, the confrontation turned deadly. The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a man identified as Seth for allegedly macheting his father to death in the Pipeline area of Rumukwurushi, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state. The command said it was investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the motive for the alleged killing.
According to a neighbour who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, the suspect, who is in his 20s, attacked his father at home. The suspect's mother, a teacher, had gone to work when the incident occurred. "The boy's mother is a teacher and she was not at home. When she returned from work and saw the house scattered, from the veranda to the room, she asked the boy what had happened," the neighbour said. "They said the boy usually took Ice. She saw her husband lying down, so she thought he was sleeping. But because of the state of the house, she went outside and called people to come and check him. The person who came said the man was dead, but she did not see any blood. As she tried to go back inside, the boy locked the door where his father was and remained inside. The woman started shouting and attracted people. Vigilante members and the police came and forced the door open. The boy was seen with bloodstains on his hands. He admitted killing his father."
The source said it was unclear what triggered the alleged attack. "Maybe he had a quarrel with his father over food or something else because the woman was rushing to prepare food for her husband that afternoon," the neighbour said. The suspect allegedly attacked his father with a machete, inflicting several injuries on him, including injuries to his neck. A video circulating on social media showed the grieving woman narrating the incident to some officials believed to be members of a vigilante group in the area.
The police spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect. "Yes, I can confirm. The suspect in question has been arrested, while investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident," Agabe said. The police have not disclosed further details on the suspect's identity or the specific charges he will face. The investigation is expected to establish the sequence of events and determine whether the suspect acted alone or whether there were other factors that contributed to the attack.
The killing adds to a troubling pattern of domestic violence and parricide in Nigeria, where disputes over trivial matters have escalated into fatal attacks. In July 2026, the Rivers State Police Command arrested another man for allegedly hacking his father, retired Captain David Nwoke, to death during a dispute over family property in the Ada George area of Port Harcourt. The suspect in that case, believed to be in his mid-30s, allegedly attacked his father with a machete after an argument over the sharing of family property. The recurrence of such incidents raises questions about the state of mental health, substance abuse, and family dynamics in a society where tensions can explode into violence with little warning.
For the family of the deceased, the loss is compounded by the fact that the alleged killer is their own son. The mother, who returned from work expecting a quiet afternoon, found her husband dead and her son covered in blood. The community of Rumukwurushi, a densely populated neighbourhood in Obio/Akpor, is left to grapple with the shock of a killing that happened in their midst. The police investigation will determine what happens next, but for now, a family is shattered, a community is mourning, and a young man faces the prospect of a murder charge that could define the rest of his life.
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