A U.S.-based Nigerian prison officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), Eberechukwu Emmanuel Igwe, has been arrested and charged with assault for allegedly beating his wife during an argument over clothes and hats.

Reports noted that a complaint filed by Mr Igwe’s wife in April showed that the incident occurred in March this year when she moved the defendant’s clothes and hats to another space from a flooded part of their house.

Furious by the decision of his wife upon returning home, a dispute reportedly ensued between the couple which eventually turned physical after Mr Igwe grabbed the victim around the mouth, injuring her above the lip.

The victim also accused her husband of hitting her on both shoulders with a closed fist. She also discovered a visible injury to the back of her head but told police she had no idea how it happened. 

The wife was later admitted to the Huntsville Memorial Hospital, where a law enforcement officer interviewed her in an emergency room and reported seeing a small, bleeding scratch above her upper lip. 

Upon consideration of the complaint, a magistrate found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant, leading to the arrest of the 50-year-old on September 10. 

The defendant, who joined the TDCJ as a correctional officer in 2016, was subsequently indicted on a Class A misdemeanor charge of family violence assault causing bodily injury.

Mr Igwe became the fourth Nigerian nationals associated with the TDCJ charged this year. The Peoples Gazette last week reported that Oluwayomi Obed Edom was arrested over alleged synthetic cannabinoid and methamphetamine possession. 

In May, Ayodele Abiodun Afosi was charged with fleeing the scene of an accident after causing damage. Also, The Gazette reported in July another that another correctional officer from the department Bashir Oladimeji Lawal was arrested for alleged public intoxication.