Fidelis David in Akure
An aged woman simply identified as Iforiti has allegedly set her middle-aged son, wife and two grandchildren ablaze in Aponmu community, along Ondo road, in Akure South Local Government Area of the state.
THISDAY gathered yesterday that the grandmother, who lives with her son and his family allegedly set the house ablaze last weekend while the family was asleep, killing three of them including the son, Victor; wife Racheal and one of the grandchildren while the remaining child is in critical condition.
An eyewitness, Mr Korede Michael, while narrating the ugly incident said: “I saw the house on fire around 2:00am at the weekend and had to break the window to rescue everyone in the house. The woman, her son, Victor Oloro; wife, Rachael; and children, Toluwani and Blessing, were all in the house when the woman set it on fire. She got some dry palm fronds and the little petrol her son kept in a gallon (for generator), spread it around the house and then put fire to it”.
He explained that he was the first person to notice the fire and jumped into the house before other members of the community joined him in rescuing them, after which they got a vehicle to transport them to the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), Akure annex.
“When we got to Akure (UNIMEDTH annex), the doctors and nurses rejected the patients, saying they cannot take care of them due to the degree of the burn and advised that we take them to the Federal Medical Center in Owo. Unfortunately, we lost the last grandchild, who was just two and a half years old, immediately we got to Owo.
On Sunday, the son and his wife gave up the ghost while the only grandchild left is in a critical condition,” he
said.
According to him, the suspect, who was not in any way affected by the fire, had attempted suicide sometimes in 2022 by jumping into a well but was rescued by neighbours.
“The children could not send the woman out of the house when she started behaving strangely because it was built by her late husband. Iforiti, who now stays alone in the burnt house, confessed she burnt her son and his family because they were starving him.
In another related development, gunmen have kidnapped a 19-year- old girl, Adetutu Okibaloye from her home at Imoru in Ose local government area of Ondo state.
THISDAY gathered that the girl was with her auntie, Mrs Alaba Oga when seven suspected bandits forcefully gained entry into their building and took away the girl after matchetting the auntie.
THISDAY also gathered that the abductors have reportedly called the family demanding ten million naira as ransom.
It was also learnt that operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun are on the trail of the kidnappers, while Mrs. Oga who got injured during the attack has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya the two developments.
She said: “The issue at Imoru was not reported officially at the station but the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) confirmed that the monarch of the town called him while at the collation centre that three people were abducted by unknown gunmen, while two escaped, the third person was whisked away.
“On the issue of Aponmu, the case has been transferred to State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID)”, the Police Image Maker added.
