By Obinna Uballa
A Nigerian family in the United States has been thrown into deep mourning after a mentally ill man allegedly stabbed his father to death and injured his two sisters in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The suspect, Chukwuebuka Eweni, 29, has been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.
The victim, Dr Samuel Eweni, 75, was a respected computer science professor at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO). He was killed on Tuesday night at the family’s residence on Pebble Drive in New Orleans East. Police said two female relatives were also stabbed; one has been discharged from hospital, while the other remains under medical care but is expected to survive.
According to US media reports quoting family members, Chukwuebuka had battled mental illness for years but had never shown violent tendencies. Relatives said the day had been normal until the sudden attack, and they remain unsure what triggered it.
After the incident, the suspect reportedly walked into New Orleans East Hospital, where he regularly sought mental health support. Unaware of the crime, hospital staff transferred him to a facility in Jefferson Parish, where police eventually located and arrested him on Wednesday morning.
SUNO has released a statement mourning the loss of Dr Eweni. “Dr Eweni was more than an educator, he was a mentor and a guiding light to so many of our students,” said Chancellor Dr Joseph Bouie Jr.
“His contributions to the College of Business and Public Administration, and to our mission of transforming lives through education, will be remembered and celebrated. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this deeply difficult time.”
Dr. Eweni’s killing comes a month after another tragic case involving a Nigerian in the US. In October, 36-year-old Gbemisola Akayinode was arrested in Texas and charged with felony murder following the death of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, from hyperthermia after being left in a car for several hours.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the arrest, noting that the county’s Institute of Forensic Sciences had ruled the child’s death a homicide.
According to court filings, the July 1 incident occurred at an industrial complex in Galena Park, near Houston. Investigators said temperatures reached 99°F (37°C) when Akayinode left the child in the vehicle for more than eight hours while she worked at a manufacturing plant.
The girl was provided with food, water, ice cubes, a rechargeable fan, and melatonin to sleep, while the car’s rear windows were partially lowered and the windscreen covered. She was found unresponsive when her mother returned at 1:53 p.m. and was later pronounced dead at LBJ Hospital.
Court documents also revealed that Akayinode had previously brought her daughter to work due to financial constraints, though investigators later learned that her foreman had been paying for child care. She reportedly blamed prescription medication for the tragedy, while admitting to giving the child melatonin the night before and on the morning of the incident.
