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Eight die as fleeing jilted lover allegedly torches girlfriend’s house in Ondo State

By Oluwaseun Akingboye, Akure and Julius Osahon, Yenagoa
25 April 2019   |   3:48 am
All hope was lost in Ondo State yesterday as the three remaining members of a family of nine that were set ablaze by an aggrieved lover, Deji Adenuga, at Igbodigo town in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo, gave up the ghost.

• Man sets neighbour’s car ablaze over wife’s refusal to accept his sexual advances
• Another hangs self over failed relationship with lover

All hope was lost in Ondo State yesterday as the three remaining members of a family of nine that were set ablaze by an aggrieved lover, Deji Adenuga, at Igbodigo town in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo, gave up the ghost. Adenuga, who was jilted by his lover, Titilayo Sanumi, had planned to avenge himself by setting the entire household of his estranged lover on fire on Tuesday morning. The Guardian gathered that the suspect allegedly set the eight members of his estranged lover’s family ablaze in a one-room apartment at Adetuwo Street in the town.

According to sources, he embarked on the callous and dastardly act at about 2:00a.m. when the family was sleeping, killing five people on the spot while three others were rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, the three survivors who were rushed to the Trauma Centre in Ondo for treatment died yesterday evening.

The victims of the inferno were: Ayorinde Alade, Mercy Alade, Glory Alade, Johnson Alade, Aladesewa Alade, Adebayo Alade and Joy Alade. Adenuga was dating Titi; but she later called off the relationship. In retaliation, the suspect set the room where the family lived ablaze, but he actually missed his target because the girl was not in the room at the time he set the room ablaze.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph, who confirmed the arson and unfortunate incident, disclosed that the last three survivors died due to the degree of injury sustained in the fire. According to him, “I can confirm to you that three more people have died, it only remains the girl (Titi) in the family that is surviving. For the suspect, we are still on his trail and we will soon get him.”

Joseph further revealed that the estranged lover, Titilayo, had been placed on admission at an undisclosed hospital, adding that “she is still in a traumatic state.” The state police command has vowed to arrest the fleeing man suspected to be responsible for the death of eight members of a family of nine. Joseph, who described the incident as unfortunate, commiserated with the family of the deceased.

“I do not know what was on the mind of the suspect to have set ablaze the family members. This is very unfortunate. Although, the suspect is on the run, we are seriously on a manhunt for him for committing this dastardly act and we will bring him to justice,” he said.Residents of Igbodigo in Ayeka, Okitipupa, woke up on Tuesday morning to the horrible sight of eight family members severely burnt by fire.

The arsonist, believed to be a jilted suitor of a female member of the family, was reported to have, at about 2:00a.m. while the family members were asleep, poured petrol around their apartment and set it on fire.All efforts to speak with Dr. Olumide Akadiri, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital on the matter proved futile, as he could not be contacted as at the time of filing in this report.

In another development, a 21-year-old carpenter, Nojeem, who allegedly set his neighbour’s car ablaze over the wife’s refusal to accept his sexual advance, yesterday appeared in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’.The police charged Nojeem, who lives in Ayobo-Ipaja in Lagos State, with two counts of breach of peace and arson. The Prosecution Counsel, Sergeant Michael Unah, said the defendant allegedly set a Mitsubishi GDI Space Wagon valued at N500,000, the property of one Mr. Abubakar ablaze.

Unah told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 15, 2019, at about 3:00a.m. at Ayobo-Ipaja, a Lagos suburb. He said the defendant conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by unlawfully demanding sex from the complainant’s wife when he was on a night shift at work.

“The defendant knocked on the complainant’s door in the middle of the night and demanded sex from the complainant’s wife. The defendant claimed he saw the complainant’s wife in his dream having sexual intercourse with him and approached her to let them have the sex in real life.“The wife declined and in the process, the defendant angrily set the complainant’s car on fire,” the prosecutor said.

The offence, he added, contravened the provisions of sections 168 and 342 (b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015, (Revised)
A breach of peace attracts six months jail term while arson provides life imprisonment if found convicted.Chief Magistrate A.A. Fashola admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100,000 bail with two sureties in like sum. Fashola ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed with an evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government and have their addresses verified by the court. He also adjourned the case until May 9 for hearing.

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old boat driver from Kemme town in Twon-Brass area of Brass Local Government Area, Mr. Alabo Enai, has hanged himself with a fishing rope over a reported failed relationship with his girlfriend, simply identified as Blessing on Easter Sunday. Enai, was said to be in a relationship with Blessing from Ologbobiri in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state before a disagreement torn them apart. He reportedly hanged himself with a fishing rope in his compound on Sunday afternoon and was later discovered by the same lover.

The girl was said to have gone to Twon Brass town for Easter service, but returned to meet the deceased dangling body on a fishing rope. According to an eyewitness, “Blessing started knocking from door to door, raising the alarm that she did not know what his lover was doing with rope round his neck.”People then rushed out and met him dead, but there was no suicide note. We later gathered from her that they had been having issues over her decision to relocate to her community in Southern Ijaw.

“After he complained about her decision, she reportedly changed her mind and decided to stay. On the fateful day, she said she asked him to come along with her for the Easter show, but he declined and told her to have fun.”Blessing, who is a salesgirl in the community, later reported the incident at the police station in Twin Brass.A youth leader of Kemme-town, Samuel James, who also confirmed the incident, said the deceased has been buried after necessary traditional rites.

He said the family performed the traditional rite of hanging a white goat till it gave up the ghost as a sign of cleansing the land before the deceased was buried along with the dead goat. “It is believed that if the deceased boat driver is brought down and buried without the cleaning rite, other members of his family would die mysteriously,” he said.The police spokesman in the state, SP Asinim Butswat, confirmed the report, adding that the police are investigating the matter.

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