The Police in Cross Rivers State have arrested a man identified as Ntiero Okon ,for allegedly setting a woman ablaze in Calabar over failure to pay N11,000 house rent.
It was gathered that Okon,a landlord of No 9 Ansa Ewa street, Cobham Town in the Bayside area of Calabar South,on Wednesday, allegedly poured fuel on his tenant,Mrs Mary Samuel’s one room apartment and set it on fire.
According to eyewitness reports,Mary who lived in the house for over seven years,owed the landlord N11 ,000 after her fish business fell due to incessant militants attack.
The witness said “Mary had gone to Oron to buy fish in order to sell so she could raise money and pay the landlord ,and when she returned, the landlord asked her to pay the rent.Her plea for extension of time to enable her raise money from the fish she bought infuriated the landlord who accused her of deliberately refusing to pay the rent.
“So as the woman left to take her bathe, the landlord allegedly poured fuel in her room and when she entered the room, the man ignited a fire which razed the room.
“The woman shouted for help but the landlord locked up the room to prevent her escape and when neighbours rushed to rescue her, he took a machete and chased them away threatening to kill anyone who dared to challenge him.
“The woman burnt to death in her room.After her death, aggrieved people assembled and took her corpse to the Landlord’s apartment where it laid till the next day before the police arrived the residence and took the corpse and also arrested the landlord.”
