- A fifty-year-old man, Ojo Ogundeji, allegedly committed suicide, yesterday, after setting himself ablaze in his father’s house in Ondo West Local Council of the state.
The deceased, who lived in Lagos, was said to have returned to his hometown for the Yuletide.
It was learnt that Ogundeji had deliberately locked himself in a room within his father’s house, situated along the Odojomu axis of the town before setting it on fire.
According to eyewitnesses, he was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
The witness said the entire building was razed before the arrival of the men of the State Fire Service.
Speaking on the incident, Mrs. Sabaina Ogundeji, his step-mother, said: “This morning, Ojo set fire under the staircase of the house, and said nobody should put it out. But, with the help of people on the street, it was put out.
“Everybody was outside. Ojo went in and brought out his clothes and set them on fire. He later went inside, locked himself up in the room, and set himself on fire.
“It was his voice that drew our attention. He was shouting when he was burnt. People tried to force the door open and bring him out. He later died in the hospital.”
Another eyewitness, who craved anonymity, said: “He told us that he would set the house on fire because people were making fun of him, ‘because of his problem.’
“His remains have been deposited at the mortuary,” he said.
Confirming the incident, the police at Enu-Owa Division in Ondo Town said that people from the neighbourhood reported the incident, after which police operatives went to the scene.
The police, therefore, urged the public to be more vigilant in their homes or offices to prevent their property from being destroyed by unnecessary fire outbreaks or deliberate arson.
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