Man sets wife, son, daughter ablaze over property in Ogun State

A 43-year-old teacher, Gbemisola Edward, and her daughter, Dolapo, 11, have been confirmed dead at an Ogun State hospital after suffering from severe burns, after her husband, Joshua, allegedly poured petrol on her, their daughter, and his son,7, Samson, Punchng reports.

The incident reportedly happened last Thursday on Augustine Street, Ire Akari Estate, Ifo LGA, Ogun State, following a disagreement. Gbemisola’s son, Joshua Babatunde, 16, who escaped by a whisker, said his stepfather had wanted his mother to sell their three-bedroomed apartment, but she refused.

He said, “It was the scream of my mother that woke me up. Dolapo and Samson were also set ablaze. I wanted to put out the fire when my stepfather poured petrol on me as well. Before he returned with matches, I managed to escape and reported at the Ifo Police Station.
He was working with a factory but was sacked some months ago. He then told my mother to sell the house so that he could use the money to start a business. But my mother said she would never sell the house she struggled to build. We moved into the house in January.
The following month, he and Samson started living with us. It was a woman at our former residence in Iyana Ipaja (Lagos State) that bore Samson for him. He used to beat mum while we were in Iyana Ipaja.”

Joshua fled immediately the incident happened. Gbemisola’s brother, Wale, said she had always been abused by Joshua, adding that constant beatings forced her to relocate from Iyana Ipaja to Ifo. He said, "There was a time he threatened to kill her with a machete. He stole her money and fled.
When he knew my sister had built a house, he went there to reconcile with her. She insisted that they needed to go to the registry which they did in February. I visited her two weeks ago and she said he had been threatening her again and that she had told him to leave by the end of August.
It was on Thursday afternoon that I got a call that he set her and the children ablaze.” The Ogun State Police Command’s acting spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said a manhunt had been launched for Joshua.