A housewife identified as Mrs Chioma Nwaka has died after being set ablaze by her middle-aged husband, Obiozor Nwaka, over suspected infidelity.
TheNigerian Metro gathered that the incident happened late on Tuesday at Eziezekwe village in Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.
But the victim died on Wednesday morning at a nearby hospital where she was rushed to, as a result of the burns she sustained during the incident.
Our correspondent gathered that the husband, who was said to have gone to the Abagana Divisional Police Station to report the incident and presented himself to the police, had been detained at the facility.
The victim was seen in a viral video footage circulating on social media since Tuesday, scampering for safety while carrying a third-degree burn around her torso and other body areas.
Sources in the area said the suspect accused his wife of infidelity which led to both of them engaging in an intense disagreement and, he reached out for petrol, poured on the victim and set her ablaze.
One of the sources, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent on Wednesday, “The man’s wife had returned home on Tuesday evening after the day’s outing with her supposedly ‘secret lover’ when the angry husband confronted her.
“An altercation ensued during the confrontation and the man reached out for petrol and poured on her and set her on fire.
“The victim had six children and lived with her husband at Eziezekwe village. She was rushed to the hospital but she succumbed to death this (Wednesday) morning.
“The husband who ignited her with fire reported himself to the police station stating that the wife was prostituting with men in the same village and they were using it to abuse him that they were sleeping with her.”
Another source, a family member who also craved anonymity, disclosed that it was passers-by and neighbours who managed to put out the fire from the victim’s body, though it had dealt significant burns on the victim.
“She was then rushed to a medical facility in Enugwu-Ukwu, Njikoka Local Government Area, where she was pronounced dead at around 3 am today (Wednesday).”
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, when contacted on Wednesday, confirmed the development, adding that the suspect was in police custody.
Ikenga said, “The suspect is in police custody. But the unfortunate thing is that the victim died this morning (Wednesday). And the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Itam, has directed that the case be transferred to the Homicide Unit for a comprehensive look.”
Also reacting to the development, the Anambra State governor’s wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has vowed to follow up closely on the case until full justice is served.
The governor’s wife made the disclosure after receiving details of the incident from the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo and her health counterpart, Dr Afam Obidike, whom she had directed to immediately visit the scene of the incident.
In her reaction to the incident which she described as “gruesome and evil”, Mrs Soludo vowed to see to the end of the case, insisting that full justice must be made to take prime place in the whole process.
She reiterated that the current administration takes issues of domestic violence and gender abuse as serious crimes, stating that no one found guilty of such offences would be left to walk free.
She added that the state government would find the best approach to take care of the five children which, she maintained, should be in the most careful manner.
