Man Sets Wife, Children On Fire Over Sale Of House

His wife, Gbemisola, who is a 43-year-old teacher, and her 11-year-old daughter, Dolapo, was confirmed dead at an Ogun State hospital after suffering from first degree burns, while their son, Samson is still responding to treatment.

Reports have it that the incident occurred on Augustine Street, Ire Akari Estate, in the Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State, after the couple disagreed on the sale of their residential apartment.

Joshua Babatunde, 16, Gbemisola’s son, who narrowly escaped, said his stepfather had insisted on his mother selling her three-bed-roomed apartment, so he could use the money to start a business, but she refused.

His words, “It was the scream of my mother that woke me up. Dolapo and Samson were also set ablaze. I wanted to put out the fire when my stepfather poured petrol on me as well. Before he returned with matches, I managed to escape and reported at the Ifo Police Station.

“He was working with a factory but was sacked some months ago. He then told my mother to sell the house so that he could use the money to start a business. But my mother said she would never sell the house she struggled to build.

“We moved into the house in January. The following month, he and Samson started living with us. It was a woman at our former residence in Iyana Ipaja (Lagos State) that bore Samson for him. He used to beat mum while we were in Iyana Ipaja.”

Gbemisola’s brother, Wale, who affirmed the inhuman treatment she goes through, added that the constant beatings forced her to relocate from Iyana Ipaja to Ifo.

His words, “Their relationship had been fraught with quarrels since when he was living with my sister in our house at Iyana Ipaja. There was a time he threatened to kill her with a machete. He stole her money and fled.

“When he knew my sister had built a house, he went there to reconcile with her. She insisted that they needed to go to the registry which they did in February. I visited my sister two weeks ago. She said her husband had been threatening her again and that she had told him to leave by the end of August.

“It was on Thursday afternoon that I got a call that he set her and the children ablaze.”

The Managing Director, Aron Hospital, Dr. Kayode Ayoola, describing the incident, said, “The burns were serious. The girl died about 10 minutes after she was admitted, while her mother died the following day. The boy’s condition is relatively okay but nobody is ready to take care of him.”

The Ogun State Police Command’s acting spokesperson, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the tragedy and said the command had launched a manhunt for the killer husband.

He said , “We learnt the man and his wife had a quarrel over the ownership of the house they lived in. While the family was asleep, the man poured patrol on the living room and set it ablaze. As a result, the woman and the two children suffered first degree burns. The Commissioner of Police has ordered that the suspect be fished out. He can only run, he cannot hide.”