Grandma burns son, daughter-in-law, grandchild to death in Ondo

The Ondo State Police Command has opened an investigation into a case involving a 75‑year‑old grandmother accused of setting fire to her son, his wife, and their two children. The incident occurred on Sunday morning in the Aponmu community of Akure South Local Government Area, while the victims were still asleep. Three of the victims later died as a result of the blaze.

A community source told reporters that when questioned about her motive, the grandmother claimed the victims were starving her. “When asked why she did what she did, she said her son and her wife were starving her,” the source said.

Neighbour Korede Michael recounted seeing the house on fire around 2 a.m. on the day of the incident. He said he had to break a window to rescue the occupants. “The woman, her son Victor Oloro, his wife Rachael, and the children Toluwani and Blessed were all in the house when she set it alight. She used dry palm fronds and a small amount of petrol that her son kept in a gallon, spread it around the house and then ignited it,” Michael explained.

Michael was the first to notice the fire and entered the house before other community members arrived. “We got a vehicle immediately to transport them to the government hospital in Akure. When we arrived, the doctors refused to treat them because of the severity of the burns and advised us to take them to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo. Unfortunately, the youngest grandchild, only two‑and‑a‑half years old, died shortly after we reached Owo. On Sunday, the son and his wife also died, and the remaining grandchild remains in critical condition,” he added.

Michael noted that the suspect had been behaving strangely in recent times, recalling an attempted suicide in 2022 when she jumped into a well but was rescued by neighbours. “The children could not force the woman out of the house when she started acting strangely because the house was built by her late husband,” he said.

State Police Public Relations Officer Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami confirmed the incident and said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigative Department of the command.