The victims: Gbemisola Edward, 43, and her 11-year-old daughter, Dolapo, have been confirmed
dead at an Ogun State hospital after suffering from severe burns.
The woman’s husband,
Joshua, was said to have poured petrol on her, their daughter, and his
seven-year-old son, Samson, and set fire on them.
One Nigeria Blog learnt the incident happened on Thursday on
Augustine Street, Ire Akari Estate, in the Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun
State, after a disagreement between the couple.
Gbemisola’s son,
Joshua Babatunde, 16, who escaped by a whisker, said his stepfather had wanted
his mother to sell their three-bedroomed apartment, but she refused.
He said, “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.
It was gathered that Joshua fled immediately the incident happened, while
the victims were admitted to Aron Hospital, a private facility in the area.
Dolapo was said to
have died a few minutes after she got to the hospital while the mother died on
Friday.
Samson, who has burns
in the head, hands and legs, is still responding to treatment.
Gbemisola’s brother,
Wale, said she had always been abused by the husband, adding that constant
beatings forced her to relocate from Iyana Ipaja to Ifo.
He said, “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, 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, 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.
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