By Sunmola Olowookere
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For keeping property she bought secretly, a 50 year-old-man, Daniyan Ojo allegedly locked up his wife, Daniyan Dorcas in her room while she was asleep and set the house on fire. This eventually led to her death.
Daniyan is now standing trial before an Akure High Court. According to the prosecution led by H.M Falowo Esq, the defendant is standing trial over arson, murder and disabling to commit felony.
The incident occurred on September 14, 2019 at lrese Road in Shagari Village, Akure.
Daniyan was also alleged to have disabled the only means of escape (door) by the victim prior to setting her on fire, in order to prevent her from escaping.
A witness close to the family, Ajayi Ajiboye said that he heard the defendant’s voice during the incident calling for help.
When he got to the compound, he said he discovered that her room was on fire and that he forcefully broke its door with his leg.
He described how the defendant’s wife who was burnt beyond recognition, rushed outside and into the waiting hands of neighbours who came for a rescue mission and she was immediately taken to the hospital for medical attention.
The eyewitness further said that the following morning, landlords in the neighbourhood came to the house and discovered empty bottles of petroleum products scattered under the victim’s bed positioned at strategic corners of the room.
A brother to the deceased, Adeniyi Samuel, testified that the defendant reported the victim to him in respect of a title document of a commercial vehicle bought.
He stated that he had apologized on his sister’s behalf, but few days after, the defendant again reported the victim to him about three plots of land she bought and registered in her name which was confirmed by the deceased.
Adeniyi testified that his sister confided in him that she bought the property in her name because she was afraid the husband could dispose them without her knowledge.
He stated that he was able to resolve the issue between them and went back to his base but was later informed on phone how fire broke out at the their residence during which his sister was badly burnt.
He said that when he visited the deceased at FMC, Owo, she explained what transpired when she arrived home on September 14, 2019 before she gave up the ghost due to the degree of burns.
He informed that it took the intervention of the police to effect the arrest of the defendant having absconded immediately after the incident occurred.
The deceased’s daughter, Daniyan Happiness stated that her father had prepared dinner for the family and later informed them that he was going to buy fuel.
According to her, he also informed them on his arrival that they should lock up the shop within their compound.
Her words: “I woke up briefly when my mother came back from her trip but later went back to sleep. It was the uproar of the residents and the car that took my mother to the hospital that woke me up.”
Another neighbour, Ogunsola Babatunde also stated that he heard an alarm raised in the defendant’s compound and thereafter went there to ascertain the cause of the uproar.
“I met the other landlords there. We all heard the victim shouting “it was my husband who packed cotton at the point where the fire ignited from”. The victim later died in the hospital due to the degree of burns”.
Another family member of the deceased revealed that sometimes in August 2019, the defendant reported the victim to her that she sold a piece of land and paid the money into a friend’s account instead of his.
She said that she pleaded with him to let go of the matter. According to her, about three days after, the defendant reported the victim to her that she instructed her lawyer not to write “Mr and Mrs“ on the purchase receipt of a land newly acquired by her.
She said that the defendant then threatened and called her attention to a popular radio programme airing cases of husbands beating their wives to death and that her sister’s action could also make him beat her to death.
Insp. Bayo Adaran of the Nigeria Police Force, attached to the State CID, Akure testified that a case of arson and murder was transferred from Okuta Elerinla police division to the State CID for further discreet investigation and he was part of the team that investigated the case.
He stated that he visited the scene of the crime. The complainant, the victim and the witnesses volunteered their statements voluntarily while he rearrested the defendant, charged and cautioned him in English Language.
The defendant volunteered confessional statement and the case file was later forwarded to the State Ministry of Justice for Legal Advice.
According to the medical report tendered by the prosecution, the deceased was admitted to the hospital following a burn injury.
She was managed for 72 hours with full thickness burns and was in critical condition. She later gave up the ghost on due to the degree of burns.
During police investigation, the husband denied setting his wife’s room on fire or locking her inside the room.