A man has died after setting himself and his estranged wife on fire in the Ijoka area of Akure, Ondo State.
The couple, married for ten years with two children, had been living apart following an undisclosed marital dispute.
The incident was confirmed by the Ondo State Police Command through a statement on its X handle on Friday.
According to the police, the man carried out the act after repeated efforts to reconcile with his wife were unsuccessful.
Providing details of the event, a police source, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, revealed, “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.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, also confirmed the tragedy.
She disclosed that while the husband succumbed to the flames, his wife survived and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
Odunlami explained, “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.”
