Nkwuda Vincent, a 42-year-old man and native of Ndiogbu in the Ndieze community in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has allegedly slit his cousin’s throat, Mr Nkwuda Chukwuka, for demanding some branches of a tree, which fell on their family land.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Monday, the penultimate Monday, when the suspect, Mr Nkwuda Vincent, an Assistant Catechist of St Samuel Station Ndiogbu in Ndieze autonomous, cut down a tree standing on the boundary of their land.

According to the victim, Mr Chukwuka, who spoke to our correspondent on Friday in his hospital bed at Sudan Missionary Hospital Iboko in the council area, trouble started when he met his cousin, Mr Vincent, on the family land cutting some branches of trees.

He explained that the suspect had briefed him that his father had asked that they cut down the tree so that it would be used to stake their yam.

Narrating his ordeal, “It was on the weekend that I went to our land, where I met my cousin cutting sticks from a particular tree. Seeing that the tree was standing on our own land, I enquired about who had asked him to cut down the tree.

“According to Mr Vincent, it was my father’s directive. When I inquired further about an equal share of the stick, he retorted aggressively, resulting in an exchange of words.

“When it became obvious that he was planning to attack me with the cutlass, I used a log of wood to defend it and to my chagrin, he landed the cutlass on my throat, which is by the grace of God that I survived.”

The victim, who said he had no premonition of such unruly behaviour from his cousin, called on family members and community leaders to investigate the matter to ensure justice and penalise the suspect.

“I’m happy. I am alive to tell the story and believe that both of us are owned by the community and family, who should ensure that justice is done on the matter and punish the offender for serving as a deterrent to anybody trying such aberration in the future.

Confirming, one of the family members, Mr Nkwuda Jude, described the incident as horrific, adding that they are still treating the victim to ensure that he recovered from an injury sustained during the attack.

While clarifying the family’s stand, Mr Jude noted that the matter had been reported to the security agents, adding that the Iboko Divisional Police Station had equally taken records of the incident and reiterated that the offender would be punished according to the tradition of the people.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the accused person had proved abortive, as his phone number was switched off as of Friday when this report was filled out.

Also, the Ebonyi Command of the Police Force said an official report had yet to be received to that effect.

The Command’s spokesman, DSP Ukandu Joshua, said he would contact our correspondent after confirming the incident from the Police Divisional Officer in the area.