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A 50-year-old traditional priest, Muritala Shodiya, has allegedly committed suicide as he set himself ablaze in Adebiopon village in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the State.
The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, through its spokesman, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said it had commenced an investigation to unravel the cause of the incident.
“On July 1, 2026, a 50-year-old man, Muritala Shodiya, allegedly set himself ablaze after pouring petrol on himself in an uncompleted building at Adebiopon village,” he said. “He was rescued and taken to the General Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, for treatment. Police officers visited the scene, documented the incident, and commenced an investigation.”
Shodiya, popularly known as “Ifa”, had purchased petrol and went into an uncompleted building before setting himself ablaze.
Some residents, upon noticing the incident, were said to have quickly extinguished the fire and rushed him to the General Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, for medical attention, but he was pronounced dead on Thursday morning by the medical doctor on duty.
Some of them spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident. They alleged that Shodiya had set himself on fire after showing signs of depression.
“We learnt that he set himself on fire. He had not been himself since his wife left him for another man. He had been showing signs of depression,” one of the sources said.
Another resident, identified only as Kazeem, said villagers rushed to rescue Shodiya after seeing him engulfed in flames.
“We rushed to the scene to save his life. We put out the fire and took him to the hospital, but I just heard this morning that he has died,” Kazeem said.
“Although some people claimed that other people set him on fire, he actually set himself ablaze. He crawled out of the bush while he was on fire.
“He formerly lived in Ijaye-Adebakin, Abeokuta, before moving to Adebiopon Village in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.”
