A 43-year-old man identified as Yusuf Hassan, was on April 4, arrested by men of the Ogun state Police Command for setting the apartment of his ex-lover, Busayo Falola, ablaze, which led to the entire building burning down.
The suspect was arrested following a report lodged at the Ago Iwoye divisional headquarters by the 62 year old landlady of the house, Adejoke Salau.
Salau reported that she heard a noise from one of the apartments in her compound situated at no 127, old Schorlar Palace Igan road Ago Iwoye, at about 1:15 am, and when she came out, she discovered that the building was on fire while the tenants in the house were trapped in there.
Salau told the police that other residents quickly intervened and rescued three tenants, but the house got burnt completely.
Upon the report, the DPO Ago Iwoye, CSP Noah Adekanye, led his men to the scene after which occupants of the house were invited to the station in order to know the possible cause of the inferno.
On interrogation, one of the tenants, Falola Busayo informed the police that she saw her ex-lover Yusuf Hassan at the back of her window at about 12:30 am of the fateful day.
She further explained that she was scared to see him at that ungodly hour which made her scream and run out of her room to the room of another tenant.
This made other tenants come out in order to check what Yusuf was up to, only for them to discover flame coming out of Busayo’s room.
Acting on the information received, the police launched a search for Yusuf Hassan and he was apprehended.
When interrogated, he initially denied knowing anything about the incident, but when the DPO ordered detectives to go to his house and find out if he was at home at the time of the incident, he decided to open up and confessed to being the person that set the house ablazed.
He further said that he intended to burn his ex lover in her apartment because he had tried his possible best to reconcile with her but to no avail.
He said he bought N500 petrol, poured it into her room through the window and set it on fire.
Confirming the incident to newsmen, the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the state Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspect be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and possible prosecution
