A heartbreaking incident has shaken the community of Unity Road, near the Abakpa Timber Shade Market in Enugu East Local Government Area, where a woman identified as Mrs. Chidima Arinze is alleged to have taken the lives of two of her children in a moment that residents have described as the result of deep-seated family frustration.

The disturbing event reportedly unfolded on the morning of Monday, July 21, in the family’s modest home. Neighbours say the 30-something-year-old woman had been home with her three children shortly after her husband left for work. What started as an ordinary morning soon spiraled into horror.

According to one resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Chidima had all three children with her—two daughters and a baby boy. Without warning, she allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her youngest, a four-month-old infant. She then turned on one of her daughters, reportedly plunging the knife into her chest. The eldest child, witnessing the attack, managed to escape and raise the alarm.

“She didn’t try to run,” the neighbour recounted. “In fact, she called her own sister and told her exactly what had happened. By the time neighbours arrived, it was too late. Her sister was the one who contacted the police.”

Witnesses claim the woman had been struggling emotionally for some time, frequently complaining that her husband would leave the house for days, leaving her to shoulder the family's responsibilities alone.

The Enugu State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement, but officers at the Trans-Ekulu Division confirmed the case. A source described the scene as "deeply unsettling."

Police reports state that officers arrived around 9 a.m. after receiving a distress call. They discovered the lifeless bodies of 4-year-old Esther Arinze and her baby brother, Chibusoma, lying in pools of blood with multiple stab wounds. The scene was secured and documented before the suspect was taken into custody without resistance.

The children's bodies were transported to the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUT), Parklane, where doctors officially confirmed their deaths. Autopsies are pending.

The suspect remains in police custody as investigations continue. Authorities say the case will soon be handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further probing.

As the community mourns, questions linger over what could drive a mother to such a desperate act. It’s a tragic reminder of how unaddressed emotional and psychological struggles can spiral into devastating consequences.