Metro
Jealous Lover Strangles, Sets Partner Ablaze, Trapped in Inferno
A middle-aged man, identified as Baby Face, has died in a fire incident in his house in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The body of his yet-to-be-identified lover was also recovered from the house.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Baby Face invited his lover to his house at Kom Kom, a densely populated area in Oyigbo, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt at the weekend, when the incident occurred.
A source said the man later interrogated his girlfriend over an alleged affair she had with another man, which led to an argument between the lovers.
The eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Baby Face later strangled the woman.
The source said, “After killing the girl, he set his apartment ablaze as a way to cover his track, but was caught up in the inferno. He was burnt to death with the girl’s corpse inside the house.”
He said the incident caused panic in the neighbourhood, as residents deserted the area for fear of being arrested by the police.
The spokesperson for the police in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, however, said it was a fire incident.
“The girl died and the man was taken to a hospital where he was receiving treatment, but later died.
“We (police) have launched an investigation into the incident to find out what really happened. We will make our findings public,” she added.
By Eric Elezuo
A security expect and Chief Executive Officer, Safety Signatures Limited, Dr. Cynthia Gregg, has identified the need for individuals to have intimidate and dominion over their fellow man as one of the reasons for the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Nigerian Civil space, thereby resulting in insecurity and unsafe habitation.
Gregg made the observation while participating as a panelist during the panel session of the 2023 National Security Conference of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), on Thursday at the Civic Centre, Lagos.
The security practitioner noted that the issue of small arms and light weapons in the hands of non state actors, has become a major concern to all and sundry as killings abound, affecting both men in uniform and their civilian counterparts in the country today.
“We have noticed that in our society today, the person who carries the weapon is the most feared, and so because everyone wants to be feared, wants to dominate and intimidate the other person, they go to any length to acquire illegal weapons. That explains why when a robber encounters someone, the first thing they do is brandish a weapon or unleash some brutality to subdue their victim. It is the norm, unfortunately,” she said.
She further called on the public to encourage and help the law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties by saying something when they see something, and advocated community engagement to deal with challenges of proliferation of lethal weapons in the hands of non state actors.
Again, Gregg lauded the efforts of NAOSNP in using its platform to propagate safety and security through fruitful engagements with relevant institutions and reportage of credible security stories as well as advocacy through its enviable conferences.
The Lagos State Police Command had said the autopsy conducted on Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, had been concluded.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to The Punch during a telephone conversation on Thursday.
He said, “Autopsy has been concluded. Awaiting results.”
Earlier on, while responding to an enquiry by the paper concerning arrests made by the police in connection with the late singer’s death, Hundeyin said, “I can’t answer questions on the arrests yet because I don’t have that update. However, the nurse is in our custody; I can confirm that.”
The body of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has been exhumed for autopsy.
Lagos State Police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the development via his X handle on Thursday.
The Lagos Police image maker wrote: “Exhumation completed. Autopsy to commence. #JusticeForMohad #Justice4Mohbad.”
