Man sets self, girlfriend ablaze in Benue
A middle aged man has reportedly set himself and his female lover ablaze at the High Level Area of Makurdi town, after a heated quarrel.
It was gathered that the incident which occurred Saturday night, caused pandemonium in the area, as residents scampered to stop the fire spreading to other buildings in the densely populated area.
An eye witness indicated that the duo had been lovers for a long period of time and were in the habit of intermittently engaging in bitter quarrels, saying “This time they started quarrelling again and when they seemed to have resolved their differences , the young man was said to have locked the young girl inside his room and went out to buy fuel.
“Neighbours saw him with the gallon of fuel and thought it was for the generator only for him to get back to the house and douse himself and his girl friend with the fuel and ignited a fire which burnt the two of them. The young man died in the fire, the girl was taken out alive by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps but badly burnt and may not survive it”.
The eye witness said it took the intervention of men of the Fire Service to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby apartments and buildings.
Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Catherine Anene, who said the matter was being investigated added that the Police gathered that the duo had been involved in quarrels before the incident.