The police in Ekiti State have arrest­ed a 30-year-old housewife, Mrs. Bukola Olusegun, for setting her husband, 32-year-old Mr. Abimbola Olusegun, ablaze on at their residence in Ado Ekiti on Valentine’s Day last month.

Spokesperson for the Ekiti State Police Com­mand, Mr. Albert Adeyemi, said the woman had con­fessed that she set her hus­band ablaze because she was angry that he did not celebrate the Valentine’s Day with her and did take her out for fun during the lovers’ day celebration.

Adeyemi said that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investi­gations on the matter were concluded.

Abimbola, a commercial driver, who is still uncon­scious following the major burns that he suffered from the fire attack from his wife on the night of Febru­ary 14, is receiving treat­ment at Ekiti State Uni­versity Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado Ekiti

Neighbours said trouble started for the couple with hot arguments when the husband returned home from work at about 6pm on February 14.

One of them said: “It was in the middle of the night later that the man raised the alarm of fire and cry­ing for help. We could not believe our eyes as he was burning all over. His wife had poured petrol on him and set him on fire. People around rallied round to res­cue him by putting out the fire and rushing him to hos­pital”.

According to the neigh­bour, the couple had always had problems with allega­tions of infidelity, as the wife was fond of accusing the husband of cheating on her.

The victim’s mother, Mrs. Folake Olusegun, said at her son’s bedside in the hospital that the victim told her before he lost con­sciousness that his wife was angry that he did not take her out for fun that day being a Valentine’s Day.

According to her, dur­ing the ensuing misunder­standing, his wife threat­ened to set him ablaze but he dared her thinking it was an empty threat, add­ing: “My son said suddenly, she poured petrol on him and also threw the fire on him”

But a relative of the wife, who craved anonymity, said that Bukola could not have set her husband ablaze.

The relation said: “I know her very well. She might be upset for not being treated well by her husband on that day but she couldn’t have gone to the level of setting the husband ablaze. Maybe it was just some kind of an accident in the house. Bukola is not really capable of committing such terrible act”.