A 47-year-old vulcaniser, Saheed Ganiyu, has been arrested for allegedly setting his lover ablaze in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The victim is battling for life at the National Hospital where she was rushed to after the incident which happened at Jabi Motor Park, Abuja, on December, 29, last year.
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The suspect reportedly poured petrol on his lover identified as Esther, 32, before lighting a fire on her over a disagreement.
He is being detained at the Utako Division of the FCT police command over the incident.
Ganiyu is said to be a divorcee with three children from his previous marriage.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, said his men rescued the suspect from the mob who attempted to lynch him at the scene.
He added that the suspect would be arraigned in court after the conclusion of the investigation.
Although they were both rushed to the hospital, Ganiyu has since been discharged to face trial as police ramp up investigation on the matter.
The lovebirds were said to be in a hot argument pulling at each other when the suspect sprinkled the content of the fuel inside a bottle he had on her and set her ablaze with a lighter.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Ganiyu who hails from Ibadan, Oyo State, denied the act was deliberate and pleaded to be allowed to marry her.
Narrating the incident, the suspect said: “On Sunday, December 29, she said she was going to church and I gave her N200 for offering and N2,500 to prepare food on her return.
“I expected her to return from church and waited at my stand but didn’t see her. Before that day, she had asked me for clothes and shoes she would wear at the new year. So I put the money I made together and bought her N30,000 worth of clothes.
“Around 6:00 pm while going for night work, I saw her at a local gin (ogogoro) spot drinking contrary to her promise to turn a new leaf while going to church”.
Ganiyu said all efforts to make her leave the spot failed as he headed for his shop nearby.
“I later called her to help me buy half a liter of petrol for my work but she refused and I went.
“But while coming back, I saw her holding another bottle of alcohol. I held her from the back and tried to snatch the bottle from her and we had a confrontation. I didn’t know that the cover of the bottle I held in my armpit had opened and spilled on her.
“I later went to buy a cigarette and as I was smoking the first one, Esther came and removed it from my mouth. It was while she attempted to stop me from lighting the second one that I heard something like an explosion and saw her in flames. I didn’t know that the fuel that had initially dripped had soaked her dress”, he added.
Speaking about their relationship, Ganiyu said he arrived Abuja in 2008 but started dating her in February 2024.
“Esther is my girlfriend, I love her so much despite her deformity and she used to help me a lot. She would come to my business stand every morning, clean everywhere and set my vulcanising machine. I didn’t deliberately pour petrol or set her on fire.
“Since she was hospitalized, I have not been myself despite my condition as a result of the beating. I know that my life has been destroyed.
“I appeal that I should be allowed to see her. Though I am a Muslim, I’m ready to marry her”, he stated.
Esther’s uncle, Mr Modaki Kofur, a retired Warrant Officer of the Nigerian Army, explained that Esther’s deformity resulted from the fall she sustained during a training for recruitment into the Nigerian Navy about 12 years ago when she broke her hip bone.
“She left my house over two years ago, and I thought she was in Enugu State, where she said she was going to work.
“When I heard about the incident, I went to see her at the hospital this month but saw her in a terrible state”, he stated.
He added: “The problem we have now is money to take care of her. We have spent a lot since the incident occurred, and we were told by the hospital that she may need to be there for two months.
“That’s why we have been telling the man who caused the problem to look for more money, but he has not been forthcoming”
