Man sets house on fire, burns 5-year-old girl to death

Imohimi Edgal Lagos police commissioner Imohimi Edgal

A 5-year-old girl identified as Nifemi was burnt to death, while her mother and two siblings suffered severe burns when their makeshift house was allegedly set ablaze by a 45-year-old man.

Lagos police commissioner Edgal Imohimi confirmed the incident on Wednesday.

Mr Imohimi said that the woman and her children were sleeping at their Powerline Area residence in Alagbado, Lagos, when the incident happened.

At the scene of the crime, Imohimi said that the suspect had been arrested.

The victims are Anitan and her children Ayo, Esther and the deceased Nifemi.

“They are currently receiving treatment at Gbagada General Hospital.

“Fortunately, the Divisional Police Officer and his team that came to their rescue did a painstaking search.

“They were able to recover a phone which was traced to Shola Adewunmi, who previously had serious altercation with the woman.

“Evidence we have so far is that the man purposely set fire on the house with intent to burn both the woman and her children alive.

“He has been arrested and I have ordered that he be taken to the state CID for further investigation,” Imohimi said.

The police chief said that the suspect would be properly investigated and charged to court, assuring the public that outcome of the investigation would be made known.

Also, Imohimi blamed people who refused to give information about the activities of NNPC pipeline vandals for the fire incident that happened at Abule-Egba area of the state on Wednesday morning.

He described the area as “notorious in pipeline vandalism.’’

Some of the residents of the affected areas claimed they never knew that vandals were siphoning fuel from the NNPC pipelines, while some admitted seeing fuel tankers from the spot.