Man dies after being set ablaze by his 18-year-old girlfriend over marriage

Chidinma Ikechukwu Omah, a patent medicine dealer, was killed in Wadata, Makurdi, Benue State, when his 18-year-old mother, Esther Alex, set him on fire.

Esther had reportedly doused him in petrol and on Monday, January 11, 2021, lit a match at about 2:am.

The Benue Command Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the arrest of a suspect from the Olachagbaha State district.

The love birds had been together for over two years, according to sources, but trouble began when the deceased began dragging his foot to marry Esther, who did not go down well with her.

The relationship then became tense, resulting in regular fisticuffs and then escalated to the degree that if he reneged, the perpetrator reportedly threatened to kill him.

Every time they had misunderstandings, Esther is said to have threatened to deal with the dead, up to trying to employ assassins to kill him.

The lady once poisoned his food, according to sources, but as luck would have it, Omah declined to eat the food but gave it to a dog who ate it and died later.

To make matters worse, last December, Omah was said to have gone to his village in Enugu and held his proposed wife’s traditional marriage ceremony. This further aggravated the stress already present.