A man in his late 30s identified by close sources as Mr. Onyeka has died of a third degree burn sustained from a deliberate fire set on him by his ex-fiancee identified as Ms Oluchi.
News Echo gathered from sources that Oluchi, a lady also within her early 30s also died from the fire she deliberately set on the 31st of December, 2021 at her resident, in Lagos Street, off Obohia Road, Ndiegoro Aba, Abia State.
New Echo gathered that Oluchi, a business woman who deals on clothes and Onyeka a bakery worker were lovers who dated for some years with plans of getting married.
However, Onyeka gave the Oluchi heave-ho in the relationship for no reason and got married to another girl without informing her.
News Echo also gathered from close sources to the victims that Oluchi who was more financially stable than Onyeka paid both his important bills and that of his siblings and parents.
One of the sources told News Echo that Oluchi considered herself Onyeka’s wife and Onyeka as well never showed any sign that there was another woman in his life.
News Echo however learnt that unknown to Oluchi, while she was spending on Onyeka hoping he will get married to her, Onyeka had already impregnated another lady.
The source said that Onyeka secretly got married to the lady he got pregnant on the 28th of December 2021 without Oluchi’s knowledge.
A source said that Onyeka and the lady he got married to, were co-workers in a bakery located at Obohia Road.
The source also added that Onyeka had been taking care of her with money he gets from Oluchi while still making Oluchi believe they were still dating and will soon get married.
It was gathered that the news of the traditional marriage filtered into Oluchi’s ears and left her devastated.
The source claimed that she even saw the marriage story on Facebook, a situation which left her devastated as she could not open her clothing shop from 29th to 30th December 2021.
Another anonymous source close to the victims told News Echo that what devastated Oluchi most was the fact that a few days to Onyeka’s secret traditional marriage, he came to Oluchi and borrowed the sum of N200,000 which he told her he wanted to use to solve some problems.
“He told Oluchi that he needed N200,000 for some family problems because his people stay in the same area here. Oluchi gave him the money as usual without hesitation.
“Oluchi never knew that Onyeka was only playing with her head and wanted the money help him quickly pay for the bride price of the girl that he impregnated at the bakery.
“The truth is that the news left Oluchi devastated. Anyone familiar with her behaviour would have noticed she wasn’t herself anymore.
“But nobody expected what happened because on the 31st December, 2021 she was bright and looked to have defeated the trauma. I only woke up to hear this terrible news.”
Another source said that when Oluchi discovered what happened, he invited Onyeka to her residents in Lagos Street on the 31st night and the unsuspecting Onyeka told his wife he was going for a Cross Over Night Prayer and asked her to stay at home.
The source however said that how Oluchi managed to overpower him and set him ablaze remains a mystery, but that those who heard what Onyeka said at the hospital before he died said that Oluchi locked the door, set him ablaze, but he grabbed her to ensure she didn’t escape the fire.
The source said, “After the guy got married to the girl he impregnated, Oluchi invited him to her house as usual and the guy came without knowing that she already has a dangerous plan and he came as if nothing happened.
“I don’t know if he knew Oluchi was aware he got married or not, but all I heard at the hospital was that he told his new wife that he was going for a Crossover Night.
“He said while still speaking at the hospitals shortly after he came to Oluchi’s apartment, she locked her door as usual and after a while, she emerged with a bucket containing fuel which she threw at him and quickly set him ablaze.
“I learnt that it was as the guy was burning, Oluchi headed for her door to escape, but the guy grabbed her and both of them started burning without anyone knowing. Some of us got to know what was happening when the smoke started coming out coupled with serious shouting from Oluchi. We broke into her apartment to help.
“The truth is that they didn’t die that day. It was on New Year day that they died because when they were taken to several hospitals, they were rejected because of the severe burnt. The guy was more badly burnt than Oluchi as she was burnt from her waist up, but it was a sorry sight to behold.”
