Tragedy befell residents of Ogun State yesterday as a member staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kehinde Fatinoye and his wife, Bukola, died in a mystery fire incident that engulfed their residence at the Ibara Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Abeokuta metropolis, the state capital.
The incident has been attributed to bandits.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the incident, which occurred shortly after the couple returned from the Crossover Service in their church to usher in the New Year in the early hours of yesterday, also resulted in the abduction of one of the children of the victims and their housemaid.
This came as an 82-year-old retired athletes’ coach simply identified as Majekodunmi also feared dead in another inferno that ravaged his residence at the Federal Housing Estate, Olomoore in the Abeokuta North local government area of the state.
LEADERSHIP gathered that suspected bandits had invaded the Fatinoyes’ residence at around 3 AM and set the place ablaze which resulted in the death of the CBN employee and his wife, a staff of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
A source in the late Fatinoyes’ family, who spoke with journalists, claimed that the bandits threw the deceased’s son and maid into the Ogun River alongside the Adigbe-Obada corridor of Abeokuta town while escaping from the scene of their dastard act.
A cousin to the late Fatinoye, Ambrose Somide, said he could not fathom what was responsible for the dastardly act.
When contacted, the state command’s police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, a superintendent of police, who confirmed the incident, however, disclosed that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident.
He said the command had commenced investigation into the matter.
“It is true that a couple was killed and set ablaze at their residence in Abeokuta, shortly after they returned from the Crossover Service.
“One person has been arrested by our operatives in connection with the incident. We will get to the root of the matter, as investigation has since begun, ” he said.
