I set my wife ablaze because of hunger — Man tells Police

A 46-year-old man, Hassan Azeez has been arrested by men of Ogun State Police Command, for pouring petrol on his wife and setting her ablaze.

The command spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement issued in Abeokuta yesterday, said the suspect was arrested following a report lodged at Ibogun divisional headquarters by the victim’s father, who reported on 22nd of October 2022, that her daughter, Olayinka Hassan was set ablaze by her husband following a minor disagreement.

He added that the victim, a mother of one, was then rushed to a hospital in Ibadan.

The statement read, “Upon the report, the DPO Ibogun division, CSP Samuel Oladele mobilized his men and moved to the scene, but unfortunately, the suspect escaped before the police got to the scene. Since then, the police operatives have been on his trail until 22nd January 2023 when he was eventually apprehended.

“On interrogation, the suspect who claimed to have run away to the Benin Republic confessed to the commission of the crime, but blamed it on the devil. The suspect said, he asked the victim to prepare food for him, but instead of the victim preparing his food, she was busy washing clothes.

“He stated further that he got annoyed because he was hungry and the annoyance made him to pour petrol on her and set her on fire. When asked whose clothes the woman was washing, he confessed that it was his clothes”.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspect be transferred to Homicide section of the state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.