Ahmed Ojo, an Ekiti-based Islamic cleric, reportedly set fire to his wife’s home in the Egbe Odo area of Isua Ijesa, Ekiti State, after she refused to join him in a late-night prayer.
In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, the wife, Bosede Afolabi, revealed that the event occurred on April 27 when her husband arrived home and requested that they conduct a prayer at 11 p.m. on that date, which she refused because she was sleepy.
Afolabi revealed that her unwillingness to join in the prayer enraged the cleric, who started making problems, prompting her to invite neighbours to appease him.
She also indicated that all attempts to persuade the cleric that she was weary after a stressful day at work were useless, and when she sensed he was growing aggressive, she fled the house to sleep at a neighbour’s house.
She narrated further, “At about midnight, a girl from our neighbourhood came to knock on the house to inform us that my house was on fire and that it seemed my husband had set the house on fire.
“I and some neighbours rushed to the scene only to see that the whole building had been engulfed in fire. Before we could get help in putting the fire out, the building had been razed.
“He was later caught and handed over to the police.”
She went on to say that when her first husband died, she remarried clericand has been accommodating him since their wedding.
When questioned if there had been any previous misunderstandings between them, Afolabi stated that there had been none prior to the occurrence.
She, on the other hand, attributed her husband’s behaviour to alcoholism.
“What I observed that night was that he was drunk, which was why I tried to avoid the escalation of the disagreement that ensued on that fateful day. He often comes home drunk sometimes, but we have not had any serious misunderstandings in the past,” Afolabi noted.
She went on to say that the occurrence had devastated her because of the enormous loss she had suffered.
“I have not been myself since the incident happened because of the loss it has caused me. I appeal to Nigerians to come to my aid,” she concluded.
Sunday Abutu, the state’s police public relations officer, confirmed the occurrence to our correspondent over the phone on Wednesday. He also revealed that the cleric is being investigated.
“The incident happened. The man has been arrested, and he is currently undergoing an investigation at the state’s CID,” Abutu said.
