A woman simply identified as Ebere has been reported dead as a result of the injuries that she sustained when her husband set their apartment on Ifesowapo Street, Asolo-Agbede, Ikorodu, Lagos State, ablaze during a hot disagreement.
The estranged husband, in a fit of rage, allegedly locked his wife in the apartment and set it ablaze.
Ebere was reported to have called for help while writhing in pain. Her husband, who could no longer bear his wife’s cry, later attempted to open the door.
However, it was learnt that the intensity of the fire caught up with him when he opened the door.
The victim, who suffered severe burns on parts of her body, was rushed to a hospital, but she was eventually reported dead.
A neighbour, who spoke anonymously, said that he was sitting at his passage when Ebere ran downstairs, sat on the floor and wriggled in pain on October 9, 2021.
The neighbour said, “We only saw that her hands were burnt; she was telling us to rush her to a hospital. So, we rushed her to the Aduraking Hospital and Maternity.
“It was when we got there that I discovered that her chest was also burnt. From there, she was referred to the Ikorodu General Hospital.
“The hospital conveyed her in an ambulance to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital where she was admitted for treatment. She died a week after being hospitalised at LASUTH.
“Since then, we have not seen her husband. We learnt that he was also burnt and was receiving treatment in another hospital. No one knew that anything was happening until his wife rushed downstairs with burnt hands.
“I don’t know the cause of the fight, but I have been reading different stories online.”
A source in the area told our correspondent that the fight between the couple bordered on allegations of infidelity.
“The fire also affected the husband. His wife, who was inside the building, could not survive the injuries. It was the husband that used petrol to set their apartment ablaze,” the source added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said he called the Owutu Divisional Police Officer who said that no such case was reported at the station.
