The Baale of Otun community, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, Chief Oluwaseye Fagbenro, has said purification ritual would be carried out to cleanse the community of the “inhuman act” after a man, Ponle Adebanjo, defiled the land by burning his wife, Lateefat, to death.
Speaking with PUNCH, Fagbenro also confirmed that Ponle, who sustained serious injuries during the incident, died a day after the death of his wife.
He said the couple were not indigenes of the community but settled there a few years ago.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Lateefat was set ablaze by her estranged husband after she packed out of his house over domestic violence and rented an apartment on the same street.
Ponle allegedly threatened to deal with her and vowed never to allow Lateefat to marry anybody else.
On the fateful day, the woman was praying when the suspect reportedly poured petrol on her and struck a matchbox.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, had in a statement said the burning woman grabbed Ponle, as the fire also affected him.
While the woman died that day, the suspect died the following day.
The traditional ruler of the community, Fagbenro, said he was at a meeting when the incident happened.
He said, “Someone called me that the couple set themselves on fire. Immediately, I called the DPO. The police came and by the time I arrived, they had taken them away. Their child’s leg was also affected. I heard they had issues and the wife moved to a nearby house before the incident occurred on Saturday, July 2.
“The woman was rushed to a general hospital, where she was confirmed dead. Immediately, her corpse was taken to her people in Ibadan. When the husband died the following day, his corpse was taken to a mortuary at Ifo.
“The wife was from Ibadan, while the husband was from Osun State. We have commenced the process of spiritual cleansing of our community for such an evil to go away from our community so we don’t have a recurrence.”