Neighbour sets father of four ablaze

A father of four, Mr. Sylvester Ezema, of Akpa Edem, Nsukka, Enugu State, was on Sunday set ablaze by his neighbour, Sunday Ugwuoke.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the day and created much confusion and tension in the community.

A member of the community, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the victim was ambushed on his premises about 5.30am when he came out to urinate.

He said, “Ugwuoke, on sighting Ezema, poured petrol on him before setting him ablaze. After the heinous act, he ran away and is still at large.”

The source stated that the scream of the victim attracted other residents, who put out the fire and later rushed Ezema to Chukwudi Hospital, Nsukka, where he later died.

Ugwuoke was alleged to have earlier told some of his friends that he had warned the victim many times to stop what he called “a suspicious relationship” with his mother.

However, efforts by our correspondent to get reactions from the deceased’s family proved abortive as they declined comment.

The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amarizu, confirmed the incident and said the police had started investigations to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The PPRO said, “The matter has been reported to the police. After investigations, those indicted will be arrested and prosecuted.

“The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka for postmortem examination.”