Obosi boils as suspected arsonists kill 77-year old grand mother, set her sons 5-room bungalow ablaze, as 7-year old house help

A 77-year old woman, Elder Mrs. Grace Orizu on Saturday afternoon met her untimely death following suffocations she incured as a result of thick smokes and excessive heat  she encounteed when her sons five-room bungalow was allegedly set ablaze by some suspected arsonists at Little Wood Estate, Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state.

Her  nine-year old house help, Master Progress Nwachukwu narrowly escaped death as the nneighbourhood who thronged to the scene barely managed to rescue him alive from the kitchen where he had hidden himself as the fire was gradually approaching the kitchen.

The body of the deceased woman was picked inside the toilet where she had hidden herself while the fire was raging and rushed to various hospitals before landing at St. Charles Borromeo Mission Hospital, Onitsha where she was certified dead by medical experts.

The incident, according to the source, occurred when the arsonists believed to be after the life of her second son, Emeka Orizu who was recently elected as chairman of Little Wood Estate, Obosi, allegedly sneaked into the compound at about 3 p.m., quietly sprinkled some liquid substances suspected to be Premium Motor spirit, PMS all over the bungalow, including its roof top and ignited the fire on it.

A symmpathy visit to the scene yesterday by the traditional ruler of Obosi, Igwe Chidubem Iweka showed that  not even a pin was recovered from the bungalow as both the zink, window louvres and all the household properties were consumed by the inferno.

Narrating the incident to Igwe Iweka, Emeka Orizu said he left the house at about 2 p.m. for Ihiala on a condolence visit to his in-law only to be called on phone by his wife at about 3.30 p.m. to inform him that somebody told her that their house was on fire.

Orizu further told the monarch that he noticed some clandestine movements by some undesirable elements around the house before he left for the condolence visit, adding that he had since lodged a complaint at the Obosi Police Station where he even mentioned names of those he suspected to have set the house on fire.

He said the same persons who are opposing Igwes royal throne are after him because shortly after he won an election as chairman of Little Wood Estate, Obosi, he fired a warning signal to all the cultists and illicit drug peddlers residing at the Estate to relocate or he would expose them, as he was not ready to harbour them in the estate.

He also noted that the opposition approached him and requested that he should lead their boys to the bush to drive away Igwes land committee members and take over the control of the lands but he refused on the ground that Igwe is the custodian of all the lands in Obosi and that he would support Igwes war against cultism, drug trafficking and other forms of criminalities in the area.

He disclosed that following his resolve to sustain the war against drug trafficking, the same arsonists who are working for some influential persons opposing the Igwe, launched their first attack on him on june 25, 2015 when they shot at him during a wake-keep but he escaped death  and on a second occasion, they attacked him again with axe on July 26, 2015 and on November 1, they trailed him after a thanksgiving ceremony but he escaped for the third time and they now decided to set his house ablaze last Saturday, December 12 because he had been out of town running away from home.

Also narrating his harrowing experience, the nine-year old house help, Promise told the monarch that he heard a noise at the gate and the deceased old woman directed him to go and check who were makingn the noise, adding that as he came out, he saw someone who sprinkled the liquid substance on top of the roof and thinking that it was an ordinary water, he ignored him and went inside the room until the fire started raging.

Responding, Igwe Iweka described the incident as a dastardly act and called on the state government and law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter with a view to bringing the culprits to book, adding that he had equally informed the state government and the police about the incident.          

Photo of the attack on Orizu