woman set her husband and herself ablaze in Kano over alleged
infidelity (HERE)..now we have got more info on how it all began.
travelled to Anambra State for his wedding to his heartthrob, Anurika.
As a typical Igbo man, it was an occasion he had longed and prepared
for. His bride was based in her Enugu Uku village, in the South East
area of the country. She waited patiently for her big day, expecting her
husband-to-be and his family members for the big event.
relatives, including some of his neighbours in Kano gracing the
occasion. For his neighbours, their presence at the wedding was a
compulsory obligation, simply because of the love they had for Emeka’s
late father from whom he took over the business of book selling.
After the wedding, Emeka came back to his abode at No 54,
Middle Road in Sabon Gari area of Kano but for some reasons the bride
decided to stay back at her home town for about four months. Later, she
felt it was time to finally relocate and join her husband in Kano.
When she arrived in Kano and being new in the city she often
went with her husband to Church Road, the location of her husband’s
bookshop, so that she would not be bored staying at home all day long.
However, a source who preferred anonymity disclosed that
last Monday night, Emeka had bought some food items and other things to
celebrate Democracy Day on his way back home, unfortunately a tragedy
was lurking around the corner for the couple.
There were conflicting reports on what actually transpired
that fateful day. One report said that there was an argument between the
new bride and her husband.
A source told Sunday Tribune that the woman allegedly
accused her husband of infidelity, shortly after eavesdropping on a
phone conversation between him and an unidentified lady, who called him
at about 12 midnight.
Allegedly
emotionally disturbed by the tone of the conversation between her
husband and the unknown lady, she reportedly reached for a keg of petrol
within reach and lit a match, which eventually exploded and engulfed
their entire home.
As of the time of the incident, the bride was said to be
pregnant. She died in the inferno but Emeka did not die immediately as
he escaped to a neighbour’s house through his front balcony. He was
rushed to a nearby the hospital. He however died sometimes later due to
the extent of severe burns on his body.
Sunday Tribune spoke with some of Emeka’s neighbours. One of
them who witnessed the tragedy, Okechukwu Moses, disclosed that the new
bride was burnt beyond recognition and died instantly at the scene of
the incident. He disclosed that Emeka was first rushed to Fortress
Hospital in the area where he received first aid treatment, but had to
be transferred to another hospital.
Another co-tenant, Mr Emmanuel Okorie who revealed that the
couple hailed from Anambra State, corroborated Okechukwu’s story and
also narrated the events leading to the tragedy.
“Before the tragic death of the newly-wed, they went for
their wedding at their village about seven months ago. The woman, said
to be carrying a seven-month pregnancy joined the husband in Kano four
months after their wedding,” he said.
Okorie could not establish whether it was the alleged phone
conversation that led to the tragedy. He, however, disclosed that Emeka
confided in him that his mother imposed the woman on him.
Another version of the story said the late Emeka, before his
wedding to Anurika allegedly had another lady he was set to marry. The
unconfirmed report also alleged that Anurika was imposed on Emeka adding
that right from the time the new bride joined her husband in Kano, both
were allegedly living like cat and mouse.
The source further alleged that Emeka came back home around
11 pm and started beating his wife, which got the woman angry and forced
her to take the desperate step of setting herself and her husband
ablaze.
A neighbour popularly known as Nwa chief said he lost all his property to the inferno.
My family lost all we had « he said, putting the cost of
his entire loss at over N2 million, explaining that the only thing left
for his family are the clothes on their bodies. He also urged other
single men to learn lessons from what happened to Emeka.
However, many residents of the area were of the view that
there was more to the tragedy than meets the eye insinuating that
‘remote control from the village’ might be involved as ‘many may not be
happy that Emeka inherited his late father’s business.
A source who preferred anonymity from No man’s land Police
Division said the couple’s remains have been deposited at an undisclosed
mortuary.
When contacted, the Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Musa
Magaji Majiya, said detectives from the Command had commenced
investigation into the cause of the tragedy.