Man dies after setting himself, wife on fire in Ondo

An as-yet-unnamed man has died after setting himself and his wife ablaze in the Ijoka Area of Akure, Ondo State.

It was gathered that the couple, who had been married for ten years and had two children, had separated following an undisclosed marital issue.

The incident was disclosed by the state police command on its X handle on Friday.

The police reported that the deceased took the fatal action against himself and his wife after he had begged her for reconciliation, but she refused to end the crisis.

A police source, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the matter, said: “The man had been separated from his wife for some time but had been begging her to end the conflict between them and continue their lives as husband and wife. However, the wife refused.

“So, on a fateful day, the deceased invited his estranged wife to his house to pick up an item. When she arrived, he began begging her again. But the wife insisted on not reconciling, which led him to lock the door from the back, pour petrol on both himself and the woman, and set them on fire. He died on the spot.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident, adding that while the husband died, the wife was still in hospital receiving treatment.

Odunlami stated, “They were married and, along the way, had issues that caused them to stay apart. The deceased asked his wife to come over and collect a wardrobe. When she arrived, he began threatening to kill himself but later locked the door so that both of them would die together.

“Using fuel and a lighter, he set himself and the woman ablaze. He died on the spot, while the woman suffered major burns.”