The family of Kehinde Oduse has called on the police and other relevant authorities to probe the attack on their son, his wife and children by suspected arsonists at the Ita Marun community in the Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State.
The family of four was set ablaze in their home in the early hours of Tuesday, as the wife, 22-year-old Eniola and two children four-year-old Eri and two-year-old Onoara were burnt to death in the process.
Kehinde, 25, who was also caught up in the fire, was reported to be currently battling for his life.
It was gathered that the family was asleep in their room when some yet-to-be-identified individuals gained entry into their premises at about 2 a.m.
The individuals were said to have sprinkled petrol around their apartment and specifically poured it into their room before setting it on fire.
While describing the incident as a conspiracy, a member of the family who identified himself as Razaq claimed that a probe into the incident would reveal those behind the act.
He said, “This incident must not be allowed to slide into oblivion. We want the perpetrators of the act to be brought to justice. We have made our findings and we discovered that this was carried out as a result of a conspiracy among some people in the community who are after the ancestral land belonging to our family. No one will allow his family members to be roasted in such a way and manner. We are appealing to the police and other relevant authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into this incident.”
Another member of the family who did not want his name in print alleged that there were plans to ascribe the arson to a cult-related matter to divert the attention of investigators from the real cause.
The family member said, “Kehinde’s mother died at a young age and he grew up under the care of his father and has been caring for himself since he became an adult. There has never been a time he was seen or caught engaging in cult-related activities or any act of disturbance in the community. He goes about his business and fends for his family. We are saying this because some people have been trying to link the incident to cultism, but that is not true. That is why we want the incident to be investigated.”
The victim’s twin sister, Taiwo, said that her brother ran out of the room to seek help after the house was set on fire.
She said, “The incident happened around 2 am. My brother and his family were already asleep when the people came and poured petrol on the building. Meanwhile, my brother had opened his window to allow ventilation. When they saw the window open, they sprinkled petrol in their room. The smell of the petrol woke the wife and quickly called the attention of her husband to the smell of the petrol.”
Razaq, on his part, disclosed that the couple were rushed to various hospitals at midnight but were rejected due to the degree of the burns.
He said they were moved around for medical attention for about seven hours before they were later referred to a hospital where they were later admitted.
“They were eventually taken into a hospital somewhere in Lagos where they were attended to. But at the time they got medical attention, they were both weak. Doctors tried to save the wife but she later died in the early hours of Thursday. We really can’t ascertain the situation of Kehinde at the moment.”
It was gathered that the victim’s deceased wife and children had been buried.
When contacted on Monday, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola, said he was not aware of the incident.
He said, “I am not aware of the incident. I will find out.”
