The Ogun State Police Command has detained a man named Olubunmi Johnson, suspected of setting his wife, Kikelomo, ablaze in their apartment on Fagbuyi Street, Ilogbo, in the Ota area of Ogun State.
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday around 8:30 p.m., following what appears to have been a heated dispute between the couple.
According to an eyewitness account shared with PUNCH on Saturday evening, the altercation escalated to the point where Johnson allegedly resorted to extreme violence, although the precise details leading up to the tragic incident remain unclear.
Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed that Johnson is currently in custody, detained as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged crime.
A nearby neighbour who witnessed the horrifying scene quickly informed Kikelomo’s family, who then notified the police.
Authorities have now launched an inquiry to examine the incident as an attempted murder.
Odutola explained the swift police response to the distress call, “The husband doused his wife’s body with petrol and set her on fire with a match. Witnesses to the incident immediately rushed her to the hospital. Upon receiving the report, our detectives quickly took action and arrested the husband, who has since been detained.”
This incident mirrors a similar case reported in October 2024, where domestic violence ended in a fatal attack on the wife of a 30-year-old man, Motunrayo Olaniyi, in Lagos State.
According to reports, the altercation took place at Amazing Grace Estate, Elepe, in the Ikorodu area, where Olaniyi allegedly stabbed his newlywed wife, Olajumoke, multiple times before locking her inside their room and setting it ablaze.
The Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the event followed an intense argument between the couple.
