A 50-year-old man, Ojo Ogundeji, has set himself ablaze in his father’s house in Ondo West local government area of Ondo State.
LEADERSHIP gathered from a source that the man locked himself in a room and set the house on fire.
The house, where the incident happened is an old house located in Odojomu, in the Oloruntedo area of the ancient Ondo city.
According to a source, Ojo came from Lagos to celebrate Christmas and New Year festivals with his family, before he decided to take his life.
Although he was rescued by neighbours and thereafter rushed to an hospital for medical attention, he later died in the hospital.
The building he set ablaze was also razed down before the men of the State Fire Service arrived the scene.
According to the wife of the landlord, Mrs. Sabaina Ogundeji, “In the morning, Ojo set a fire under the staircase of the house and said nobody should put it off. But with the help of people on the street, it was put off.
“In the evening, everybody was outside playing. So, Ojo went in and brought out his clothes and set them on fire. He later went inside and locked himself up in the room and set it on fire. It was his voice we heard when he was shouting. People ran there to force the door open and brought him out. But he later died in the hospital.”
Another source said, “When we rescued Ojo, he was not yet dead. He told us that he set the house on fire because some people were making jest of him because of his problem.
“His remains have been deposited at the morgue in the State Hospital, Ondo.”
Confirming the incident, the Police at Enu-Owa Division said that a man in Odojomu came to report the incident.
The Police, therefore, urged the general public to be more vigilant in their homes or offices to save their property from being destroyed by unnecessary fire outbreaks or situations.
