The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old man, Hassan Yusuf, for allegedly setting the apartment of his ex-lover, Busayo Falola ablaze.
The suspect reportedly burnt down the whole building situated at 127, Old Schorlar Palace, Igan Road, Ago-Iwoye in the Ijebu-North Local Government Area of the state to protest the ex-lover’s alleged refusal to reconcile with him.
In a statement on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Superintendent Abimbola Oyeyemi said the suspect was arrested, following a report lodged at Ago Iwoye divisional headquarters by the 62-year-old landlady of the house, Adejoke Salau.
The Police spokesman said the landlady reported that she heard a noise from one of the buildings within her compound at about 1:15 am on Tuesday, and when she came out she discovered that the building was on fire while the tenants in the house were trapped in there.
Oyeyemi explained further: “She stated further that it was a quick intervention of neighbours that rescued the three tenants, but the house got burnt completely.
“Upon the report, the DPO Ago Iwoye, CSP Noah Adekanye, led his men to the scene from where the occupants of the house were invited to the station for interrogation in order to know the possible cause of the inferno.
“On interrogation, one of the tenants, Falola Busayo informed the police that she saw her ex-lover Yusuf Hassan at the back of her window at about 12:30 am of the fateful day.
“She explained further that she was scared to see him at that hour which made her scream and ran out of her room to the room of another tenant.
“This made other tenants come out in order to check what Yusuf was up to, only for them to discover flame coming out from Busayo’s room.
“Upon the information, Yusuf Hassan was hunted for and was subsequently apprehended.
“He initially denied knowing anything about the incident, but when the DPO ordered detectives to go to his house and find out whether he was at home at the time of the incident, he decided to open up and confessed being the person who set the house ablaze.
“He confessed further that he intended to burn his ex-lover in her own apartment because he had tried his possible best to reconcile with her but all to no avail, and that was the reason he bought N500 petrol, poured it into her room through the window and set it on fire”.
Oyeyemi, however, said the outgoing Commissioner of Police Frank Mba has directed that the suspect be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.
