Man Sets Himself & House Ablaze

8 years ago

Man Sets Himself & House Ablaze

A middle aged man, known as Tobechukwu Ogbonna, who hailed from Ohuhu in Umuahia North Council Area of Abia State, on Tuesday night, set their house on fire after a failed attempt to butcher his mother and brother with a kitchen knife. Tobechukwu was burnt to death before the fire fighters were able to put off the fire.

Ogbonna, who is believed to have been under the influence of hard drugs, had been
threatening to kill his mother. So, on that fateful day, he tried to butcher her with a knife but failed. Thereafter he butchered the family’s dog and proceeded to set the house on fire.

When The Nation visited the scene of the incident at 12 Bonny Street, Umuahia, on Wednesday morning, sympathizers were seen trying to assist residents of the building to evacuate the belongings they were able to salvage from the inferno.

An eye witness who is also a tenant in the compound, Mr. Joseph Mark, said the incident occurred around 11pm when an argument ensued between the victim and his mother.

According to the eyewitness, it was during the argument that the young man attempted to butcher his late mother and thereafter ran outside to kill their dog which was chained.

However, it was gathered that it was the loud shout from the mother as a result of the several machete cuts inflicted on her by her son that attracted the neighbours who promptly rescued her and took her to the hospital.

Mark said, “As if that was not enough, Mbe, as Tochukwu was known within the neighbourhood, ran back into the building with the intention of attacking his elder brother who quickly escaped by scaling the fence of the building.

“It was at that point that he locked himself inside their apartment and within seconds there was smoke coming out and before we knew what was happening, fire has covered the roof and other parts of the building”.

Another eyewitness, Mr. Abdulfatia Oyadele, said the victim was a suspected drug addict who has been terrorizing the family and people in the area after taking dangerous drugs.

Speaking after helping to stop the fire from spreading to other buildings, the State Fire Officer, Mr. Chukwuemeka Okezie, said that about 11. 45 pm, the command received a distress call about the fire incident.

Okezie said that immediately the call came in, he mobilised his men to move into the area to stop the fire and also prevent the fire from spreading to other adjoining buildings.

However the injured mother who was taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, is said to be receiving treatment and the medical team there confirmed that she is responding to treatment.

When contacted on telephone, the Police Public Relations [PPRO] of Abia State Police Command, Mr. Ezekiel Onyeke, confirmed the incident, stating that investigation has commenced.
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