A tenant known as Abeeb,
aka Ogbon was set on fire by landlord Sola Solomon allegedly poured petrol and
set fire.
A landlord in the Idumota,
Lagos Island area of Lagos State, Sola Solomon, has allegedly poured petrol and
set fire to one of his tenants, identified simply as
PUNCH Metro learnt that as
the victim struggled to put out the flames, the 67-year-old landlord pushed him
down from the top floor of the three-storey building.
The father of one was said
to have landed with a thud, as the flames ate through his body.
Abeeb had barely spent five
months in the house located on Iga Idunganran Street, Idumota, when he was
killed.
PUNCH Metro gathered that
the incident was caused by a disagreement over the use of the compound toilet.
A tenant in the house, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the quarrel had been settled in
the evening and she had pleaded with both parties to maintain the peace.
She said,
“Before the incident of
yesterday (Monday), there has been a quarrel in the house over the use of the
toilet.Everybody had complained that the landlord always messed up the toilet
after use.
“But yesterday, he had
another quarrel with the Abeeb over the use of the toilet. During the argument,
he threatened to set the man ablaze; the man also dared him.
“I called Abeeb and calmed
him down; I also called the landlord and appealed to him to let the matter go,
and he said he had forgiven Abeeb.”
PUNCH Metro learnt that the
landlord, however, was sighted by residents later that evening carrying a
jerrycan, saying he was going to buy fuel.
The Ondo State indigene was
alleged to have bought the fuel and waited patiently in his room till the
victim returned from a football viewing centre where he had gone to watch an
European league match between Arsenal and Liverpool football clubs.
It was learnt that around
12am, the landlord wet the passageway of the house and knocked on the door of
the deceased.
Another tenant, who asked
not to be named, said the victim’s wife pleaded with him not to go out. The
continuous rap on the door was said to have forced Abeeb out to confront the
intruder, only to see the landlord with a container of fuel.
He said,
“As he stepped out of the house, the landlord
poured the petrol on him. Before Abeeb could snatch the jerrycan from him, the
landlord had ignited fire with a lighter in his hand.Abeeb struggled to put out
the fire, but the landlord pushed him down from the third floor. He fell to the
ground and died.”
Our correspondent gathered
that the quick intervention of security guards in the area stopped the fire
from escalating.The other tenants in the house were said to have abandoned the
building and fled for fear of being killed.
PUNCH Metro learnt that
policemen from the Adeniji Adele Police Division later arrived at the scene to
remove Abeeb’s corpse. The police also took the landlord, who sustained burns
injuries to the hospital.
A resident, John Ameh, said
the landlord was initially rejected at the Lagos Island General Hospital and
was taken to the Gbagada General Hospital.
The former occupant of
Abeeb’s room, Ruka Rufai, regretted passing the room to the deceased, saying
she left the room due to constant threat to her life from the landlord.
She said,
“I left that the room about five months ago.
The landlord threatened me, so I decided to vacate the room. Abeeb pleaded with
me that he needed the accommodation. Now, he has been killed.”
One of Abeeb’s friends, who
did not want to be identified, expressed doubt that the suspect would face
justice.
The friend, who claimed to
be in the same football academy with the victim, said he was shocked when he
learnt about the incident on the Facebook wall of a mutual friend.
PUNCH Metro was told that
grief-stricken friends of the victim had planned to set the house ablaze, but
could not due to the heavy presence of security agents.
A resident, Habib Suleiman,
urged the state government to pursue the case against the suspect to a logical
end and seize the property.
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