The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old man, Benjamin Ogudoro, who allegedly set his wife, Chinyere, and his brother-in-law, Ifeanyin Edoziem, on fire at their apartment on House 5 Oteyi community, Abule-Ado, in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos, at the early hours of Friday.
Forty-six years old Chinyere, who just returned from Scotland the same day, died on the spot while her brother died moments after reaching the hospital.
It was gathered that the couple had a marital crisis whose cause was unknown.
The mother of four was said to have relocated to Scotland for four years but returned to Nigeria about few hours before tragedy struck when information reached her that her husband was planning to sell the house she built in Nigeria.
On arrival at the Muritala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, her younger brother and only son of their parents, Ifeanyin, went to pick her up from the airport.
Sunday Vanguard was reliably informed that after allegedly setting the duo on fire, the suspect placed a call to one of her sisters alerting her that their house was on fire but that he managed to escape while his wife and her brother were trapped.
But Ifeayin’s dying declaration revealed what transpired.
Groaning in excruciating pain from the burns, on the hospital bed, Ifeanyin managed to explain that “my sister and I were sleeping when her husband came in late, banging on the door. We had a little misunderstanding as he accused me of locking him outside. I told him I didn’t that I only used the key lock and that besides, he could have opened it since he had his keys with him.
“He kept shouting that I locked him out. He insulted me and my sister. But we kept quiet. He left the room, only to return when we had fallen asleep. He poured petrol on us, lit a match, and went out.
“We were burning. I managed to escape but couldn’t save my sister. I was fortunate enough to survive”.
But his joy of survival was short-lived as he passed on moments later at the hospital.
The charred remains of Chinyere, a Master’s degree holder from a United Kingdom university, were evacuated by a team of policemen from the Trade Fair division, who were alerted by private guards at Oteyi community, zone 7.
Police sources hinted that fleeing Ogudoro had been arrested.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest. He said that the suspect had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Yaba, on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi, for further investigation, adding that the corpses had been deposited at the Mainland Hospital mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy. (Saturday Vanguard)
