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 over a minor disagreement.
The suspect’s arrest was contained in a press statement issued Friday by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi.
The suspect, according to the statement, was arrested following a report lodged at the Ibogun divisional headquarters by the victim’s father.
It stated that the victim’s father had reported that her daughter, Olayinka Hassan, was set ablaze by her husband over a minor disagreement, and that the victim, a mother of one, had been rushed to a hospital in Ibadan.
The statement read in part, “Upon the report, the DPO Ibogun division, CSP Samuel Oladele, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the scene. But before getting there, the suspect had escaped.
“Since then, the police operatives have been on his trail until 22nd of January, this year, when he was eventually apprehended. On interrogation, the suspect who claimed to have run away to Benin Republic, confessed to the commission of the crime, but blamed it on the devil.
“According to him, 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 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 Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspect be transferred to the Homicide section of the state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.
