Police arrest man for ‘setting ex-lover’s residence ablaze’ in Ogun

The Ogun police command says one Yusuf Hassan has been arrested for setting the house of his ex-lover ablaze in the Ago Iwoye area of the state.

Confirming the development in a statement on Saturday, Abimbola Oyeyemi, police spokesperson in the state, said the incident occurred at about 1:15 am on March 4.

Oyeyemi said the 43-year-old suspect intended to set his ex-lover, identified as Busayo Falola, ablaze for refusing to reconcile after a misunderstanding.

Narrating the incident, Adejoke Salau, the landlady of the apartment, said she ran outside after hearing a noise from the lodge and discovered it was burning with three tenants trapped inside.

Salau said the three tenants were later rescued but the house was totally burnt.

“A 43 years old man, Yusuf Hassan, was on the 4th of April 2023, arrested by men of Ogun state police command for setting the apartment of his ex-lover Busayo Falola ablaze thereby burning down the whole building,” the statement reads.

“The suspect was arrested, following a report lodged at Ago Iwoye divisional headquarters by the 62 years old landlady of the house, Adejoke Salau, who reported that she heard a noise from one her building within her compound situated at no 127, old Schorlar Palace Igan road Ago Iwoye, at about 1:15 am, and when she came out she discovered that the building was on fire while the tenants in the house were trapped in there.

“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 ungodly hour which made her scream and ran out of her room to the room of another tenant.

“This made other tenants come out 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 been the person who set the house ablaze.

“He confessed further that he intended to burn his ex-lover in his own apartment because he had tried his possible best to reconcile with her but to no avail, and that was the reason why he bought #500 petrol, poured it into her room through the window and set it on fire.”

The police spokesperson said Frank Mba, commissioner of police, has ordered the transfer of the suspect to the state criminal investigation department for investigation and prosecution.