Babatola, who is being
detained by the FCT Special Anti-Robbery Squad, identified his victims as Janet
Isuawa; her sons, Samuel and Osaze; her cousin, Taphael; and Janet’s mother.
Babatola, who spoke in
Abuja, stated that he was disturbed by the thoughts of the two children that
died along with their grandmother, mother and uncle, when he set their
apartment on fire on April 15, 2015, at Sabongari, Bwari, in the Federal
Capital Territory.
The fire consumed the whole
building, including the apartment of the Babatolas, and also injured the
suspect.
Babatola, a mobile phone
technician, stated that he had wanted to commit suicide after setting the
family on fire, but was dissuaded by his younger brother, James, who asked him
to report the incident to the police.
Explaining what led to the
tragedy, the suspect said he started dating Janet, a divorcee, sometime ago,
adding that he supported her and the children financially.
According to Babatola, the
relationship developed problems after he demanded s*x, noting that each time he
asked for s*x, Janet would turn him down and taunt him.
Babatola said matters came
to a head on April 12 2016 when Janet informed him that his mother had told her
that he suffered from hernia and therefore could not date him.
He said, “Janet said my
mother told her that I suffer from hernia, and that she could not date me; she
called me a ‘mugu ’ (fool), and said she had chopped my money. So, I went to
where she was charging the phone I bought for her and took it.
“She attacked me and bit my
chest, and as I struggled to free myself from her grip, her cousin, Taphael,
came in and pushed me down and held me there while she beat me with her fists.
After I left the house, Janet’s younger sister called me on the telephone and
abused me, saying they would deal with me if I come to the house again.”
Babatola stated that he
moved to an area called Arab Road in Bwari, where he stayed with a friend,
adding that he kept getting telephone calls from Janet’s sister, who said he
would be dealt with if he went back to the house.
“On the night of April 15,
around 11pm, I went to the house and found that the gate was locked. I scaled
the fence into the compound. I went towards Janet’s room and saw her sleeping,
as the window was opened because there was no power supply. I went to the
bathroom, where she kept a gallon of fuel and poured it into the room through
the window; the room caught fire from a lighted lantern,” he said.
He further explained that
he headed for the nearby bush to kill himself after coming to his senses.
“I headed for the bush to
hang myself, but my phone suddenly rang and my brother told me that our house
just got burnt; I told him I did it and that I was about to commit suicide. He
said I should not, and persuaded me to report to the police,” Babatola added.
The technician said every
night, he remembered how he used to relate with Janet’s two sons, noting that
he had not been able to erase their memories from his mind.
“I can’t get them off my
mind, they haunt me every time; I thought it was only Janet that was in the
room, I didn’t know the children were there. I thought they had gone for a
vigil with their grandmother who attended vigil every Thursday,” he said.
A senior police officer
said Babatola did not know that he had killed all the family members, until he
saw their charred corpses the next morning.
The police said the suspect
would be charged to court soon.
Punch
he must rot in jail
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