The Delta State Police Command has launched a manhunt for a suspect identified as Ignatius over alleged arson and attempted murder after he reportedly set his wife’s shop ablaze in Okpanam, within the Asaba area of Delta State.
Metro gathered on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Monday, February 23.
The victim, Juliet Opudiri, alleged that the suspect not only set her shop on fire but also locked her foster child and a worker inside the caravan shop before fleeing the scene.
Opudiri, who operated the shop, told our correspondent on Tuesday that she lost all her goods in the inferno, including items purchased on loan and through credit facilities.
Recounting the incident, she said the fire broke out while she was at home feeding her baby.
“I was feeding my baby when I heard a loud noise. I rushed to the window and saw that my shop was on fire. I dropped my baby and started shouting that my shop was burning. Neighbours rushed out and we all ran there,” she said.
According to her, residents initially tried to put out the fire before calling the fire service, but the flames had already spread to adjoining shops by the time help arrived.
“People were breaking down the doors to force them open and tried to quench the fire, but did not succeed. Before the fire service operatives came, the fire had spread to two shops beside mine.
“When they finally arrived, they put it out, but everything had already been destroyed,” she added.
Opudiri said her foster child, Chimuanya, later narrated what transpired before the fire escalated.
She alleged that shortly after she left the shop, the generator suddenly went off, prompting her worker to go to the backyard to check it, where he reportedly encountered her husband.
“My husband carried the generator inside the shop and ordered the worker to kneel down, warning that nobody should move. He sprinkled fuel around the shop and inside the caravan, pushed Chimuanya into the caravan and padlocked it. He then locked the back gate, struck a match and set the place on fire,” she alleged.
Describing the incident as arson and attempted murder, Opudiri said her foster child was locked inside the caravan while the fire was raging.
She added that the matter was immediately reported to the police, but the suspect has remained at large.
“He ran away and we have not seen him since. He even called me to threaten that what he did was nothing compared to what he would still do. He said he would frustrate me and destroy anything I build again,” she claimed.
The mother of four said the incident had left her financially devastated and forced her to relocate with her children due to persistent threats.
“I have nothing left. The goods were on loan and credit, and I don’t know how to repay them. Because of the threats, I had to move out with my children, and they have stopped going to school out of fear,” she said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, saying efforts were ongoing to apprehend the suspect.
“We are on it. The man is on the run and we will do our best to get him. When someone knows he is being pursued, he tries to move far away to evade arrest. That makes it difficult, but we are on his trail and he will definitely be arrested,” Edafe said.