A shocking incident happened in Apomu community, Akure, capital of Ondo State. The incident has left residents of the area in wonder how pained a mother could be to jump on an act of wickedness. 

What was going on in her mind while she poured the petrol around the house? Could she be someone who had mental issues without the victims being aware of it?

These are the questions neighbours are asking after a woman, identified as lforiti, set her son, his wife and two grandchildren ablaze.

Eyewitnesses say the woman, who resides with her son in the same house, set them ablaze.

According to the reports, she set the house ablaze while the family members were asleep, killing three of them, including her son, Victor; wife Racheal and one of the grandchildren.

The other child is in critical condition at the Federal Medical Centre FMC, Owo.

The Rescue

Narrating the sad incident to newsmen, in Akure, an eyewitness, Korede Michael, said “we saw the house on fire around 2:00 am at the weekend and had to break the window to rescue everyone in the house.

“The woman, her son, Victor Oloro; wife, Rachael; and children, Toluwani and Blessing, were all in the house when the woman set it on fire.

“She got some dry palm fronds and the little petrol her son kept in a gallon (for generator), spread it around the house and then put fire to it.”

“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”.

Doctors Rejecting Patients

Unfortunately, a sad tale of a battered health sector that is unable to cater to the health needs of its people followed.

“When we got to Akure (UNIMED annex), the doctors and nurses rejected the patients, saying they cannot take care of them due to the degree of the burn and advised that we take them to the Federal Medical Center in Owo.

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“Unfortunately, we lost the last grandchild, who was just two and a half years old, immediately we got to Owo.

“The son and his wife, also, gave up the ghost while the only grandchild left is in a critical condition.”

Korede said that the suspect was not in any way affected by the fire.

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Also, the eyewitness pointed fingers to possible mental issues.

According to him, “the children could not send the woman out of the house when she started behaving strangely because it was built by her late husband”.