Residents of Lagos Street Aba, Abia State on 31st night, 2021, experienced a night of horror, as one of their residents, Ms Oluchi and her ex-boyfriend, Mr Onyeka burnt to death.
It was gathered that Oluchi, a dealer on clothes and Onyeka a bakery factory worker were lovers who dated for some years with plans of getting married.
Sources at Lagos Street told Abacityblog that Oluchi while they were dating, took financial responsibilities of Onyeka, with marriage as her consolation prize.
“She considered herself his wife and he too made her believe the same and in the eyes of everyone, their marriage was a concluded matter,” said one of Oluchi’s neighbours while interacting with our reporter.
However, unknown to Oluchi, who believes that Onyeka will get married to her, had already impregnated another lady whom he later got married to without Oluchi’s knowledge.
A source very close to the victims told Abacityblog that the traditional marriage between Onyeka and his wife took place on a low key on the 28th of December 2021.
The source said that Onyeka married the lady he impregnated without any information for a peaceful break-up with Oluchi who still believed their relationship was intact.
It was gathered that the news of the traditional marriage filtered into Oluchi’s ears, she was devastated and could not open her shop between 29th and 30th December 2021.
The source who spoke anonymously, said that what devastated Oluchi most was the fact that a few days to the traditional marriage, Onyeka came to her and borrowed N200,000 with the excuse of using it to solve a personal problem.
“Little did she know that Onyeka needed the N200,000 to complete the money he had to enable him quickly pay for the bride price of the girl that he impregnated.
“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 her to act as she did. She was very cheerful, bright and looked to have defeated the trauma of the way she was dumped. I only returned to hear the terrible news on 1st January 2022 because I was not around that night” a source said
Another source said that after Oluchi had discovered how Onyeka manipulated her, she invited him to her residents in Lagos Street on the 31st night and the unsuspecting newly married 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 plant the fire 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 while he managed to grab her when she tried to escape from her apartment and both sustained third degree burns.
“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 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 that 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 was from her waist up, but it was a sorry sight to behold.”
