By Tola Gbadamosi

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Tragedy struck at Aponmu community in Akure South Local Government area in Ondo State when a 73-year-old woman allegedly set ablaze her son, daughter- in-law and two grandchildren.

The septuagenarian , identified as Iforiti, was said to be living  with her son and his family at Aponmu, along Ondo-Akure road.

She was said to have allegedly set the house ablaze while the family was asleep, killing three of them including her son, Victor; daughter-in-law, Rachael and one of the grandchildren while the remaining child is in critical condition.

Though information reaching The Hope Metro revealed that the woman  had health challenge.

She was reported to have admitted  committing the act because her son’s family starved her.

An eyewitness, Korede Michael, who narrated the incident said,  “I saw the house on fire around 2:00am at the weekend and had to break the window to rescue everyone in the place.

“The woman’s  son, Victor Oloro; daughter-in -law, Rachael; and children, Toluwani and Blessing, were all in the house when she set it on fire.

“She got some dry palm fronds and the little petrol her son kept in a gallon (for generator), spread it around the house and then put fire to it.”

“I was the first person to notice the fire and jumped into the house before other members of the community joined me in rescuing them.

“We got a vehicle immediately to convey them to the government hospital in Akure.

Korede explained further that when they got to Akure (UNIMED annex), the doctors and nurses rejected the patients, saying they could not take care of them due to the degree of the burns. So, they were  advised to be taken to the Federal Medical Center in Owo.

“Unfortunately, we lost the last grandchild, who was just two and a half years old, immediately we got to Owo.

“On Sunday, the son and his wife gave up the ghost while the only grandchild left is in a critical condition,”he explained.

The suspected woman, Iforiti, who was not in any way affected by the fire was said to have attempted suicide sometimes in 2022 by jumping into a well, but was rescued by neighbours.

Korede said that the children could not send the woman out of the house when she started behaving strangely because it was built by her late husband.

“Iforiti who now stays alone in the burnt house confessed she burnt her son and his family because they were starving her,” he added.

As of the time of filing this report, Police was yet to make any arrest.

But the Aponmu residents were demanding justice for the slain family.