By Omowumi Omotosho
An 18-year-old girl, identified as Olawumi Ayomide, was on Wednesday, apprehended after setting fire to a house in the Afenifere Community, Onireke, Gaa-Akanbi area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The Kwara State Fire Service reported that the fire was deliberately set following a robbery involving the theft of foodstuffs, groceries, and clothing.
According to a statement signed by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, the fire outbreak was reported at 12:11 hours. Firefighters arrived promptly at No. 59 Afenifere Community to find a three-bedroom bungalow in flames. “The gallant officers immediately began extinguishing the fire and managed to bring it under control within 25 minutes,” the statement read.
Despite the rapid response, the fire had already caused significant damage. “Two rooms were completely ravaged by the inferno, with items such as a mattress, valuable documents, a plasma TV, and clothing completely destroyed,” the statement confirmed.
According to the Fire service investigations, it was revealed that the fire was an act of arson committed by a gang of three thieves. It was further reavealed that after stealing foodstuffs, groceries, and clothing, the gang was confronted by local residents. In a desperate bid to escape, the gang set the house on fire.
However, Olawumi Ayomide, one of the gang members, was caught by the community. “During his capture, Ayomide stabbed a man twice before being handed over to the community chairman, Mr. Azeez Jamiu,” the statement disclosed. Ayomide was subsequently turned over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Tanke Division, for further investigation.
