The Ondo State Police Command has launched an investigation into a tragic incident where a 75-year-old woman allegedly set her son, his wife, and their two children ablaze while they were still asleep in their home in the Aponmu community in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State Nigeria.
Regrettably, three of the victims died as a result of the incident. According to a source in the community, the woman  attributed her actions to the fact that the victims were allegedly starving her.
The police are currently looking into the matter to determine the cause of the incident and bring the perpetrator to justice.
Korede Michael, a neighbor of the victims, recounted that he saw the victims’ house on fire around 2 am on the day of the incident and had to break the window to rescue them.
According to Michael, “I was the first person to notice the fire and jumped into the house before other members of the community joined me in rescuing them. We got a vehicle immediately to transport them to the government hospital in Akure. When we got to Akure, the doctors rejected the patients, saying they cannot take care of them due to the degree of the burn and advised that we should take them to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo. Unfortunately, the last grandchild, who was just two-and-a-half-year-old, died immediately after we got to Owo. On Sunday, the son and his wife gave up the ghost while the only grandchild left is in a critical condition.”
Michael also revealed that the suspect had been behaving strangely in recent times, citing an incident in 2022 when she attempted to commit suicide by jumping into a well, but was rescued by neighbors. He added that the children were unable to send the woman out of the house when she started behaving strangely because the house was built by her late husband.
In response to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the occurrence and stated that “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigative Department of the command.” She reviewed.
Police urge anyone with relevant information on the matter to come forward and assist in their investigation.