The Father of the five children set ablaze by their stepfather, Liadi Akinfolarin, has lamented that they were roasted like bush meat.
The suspect alleged that he set the children ablaze because they used to join their mother to beat him up.
This is coming as reports had it that, aside from the child that was burnt to death in the inferno, two others reportedly died at the hospital, on Tuesday.
The twins that the wife had for the suspect, after his first failed marriage, were not affected in the inferno.
Narrating his ordeal, the father of the five children, Liadi Akinfolarin, said: “My wife packed out of our matrimonial home and left the children for me to cater for because of the man that now burnt my children
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“I work on the farm as a tractor driver. The children used to stay with me whenever I did not go to the farm. At times, I would stay on the farm for three to four days before coming home. And during that period, the children stayed with their mother till I come back from work.
“Most times when I’m back from the farm on Fridays, I would call their mother to tell them I was back. And they would stay at my place till the Mondays when they would go to school.
“After closing, they would go to their mother till when I will be around again. That’s how we were been doing it on Fridays and Saturdays.
Mother of the five children
“On that fateful Friday, I returned home late from work. So, I couldn’t call them because I knew they would come to my place on Saturday.
“But around 4 pm, I received a call from an unknown person, who told me that the house of my former wife’s husband was on fire. But I did not answer the person because the woman is no longer my wife.
“My phone rang again around 6pm and the person said my children wanted to speak with me.
“Then I heard my first daughter’s voice saying that our stepfather set us ablaze with petrol and they have been taken to the general hospital in Ondo. “And I Immediately left for the hospital.
“On getting there, I saw my children writhing in pain. Some were burnt beyond recognition.
“One first died, while the second one died on our way to FMC Owo. “The one that died first is Tayo, a seven-year-old boy and the second one is Aanu, a nine-year-old girl. Their corpses have been deposited at the morgue.
“The man roasted my children like bush meat. Now, I’m left with three out of five children.
“The remaining three, Bisola, Tope and Tobi are at FMC Owo with the support of oxygen.
“I have promised them that after this trip to the farm, I will stop going and look for something else to do so that I can take care of them properly.
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“They only stay with their mother in her husband’s house whenever I’m not at home.
“I have five children already; two boys and three girls. So, what am I looking for again? I don’t want my children to suffer.“
He noted that “That is why I did not remarry, to prevent another woman from maltreating them.”
During his parade by the police, the stepfather said that he acted because the children joined their mother to beat him up whenever they have a misunderstanding.
Ojo said: “I am 64 years old. I have married four wives. I did not strangulate my first wife. I have 10 children from different women.
“The one I married last, if I give her money and she buys food, she does not give me food. She does not wash my clothes. She always fights me.
“We have been together for two years. She and her children used to fight and beat me. They are always fighting. She does not fetch water for me. She fights the whole street. She always fights me alongside her children. They always beat me.
“We fought the day I set the children ablaze. We do not use to quarrel over sex. Everybody in the street knows the children used to beat me. We fought the night I set them ablaze.”
Addressing newsmen, the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, said Ojo told police interrogators that he gave his wife N600 but he was not given any food the night he carried out the heinous act.
Odunlami said three of the children have died, adding that the suspect would soon be charged to court. Vanguard
Updated: Many injured, shops destroyed in truck, BRT bus crash on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (PHOTOS)
A truck on Saturday morning ran into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo Bus Stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
Many passengers were wounded and a number shops and stalls close to the road destroyed in accident that occurred about 6am.
The truck
Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police who were at the accident scene insisted that only their public relations officers were authorised to speak to journalists.
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However, some eyewitnesses said several people on the BRT bus were injured.
An injured cow
They also claimed that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading for Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.
The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.
Attacker of Nancy Pelosi’s husband gets 30-year imprisonment
David DePape, the man convicted of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday. This follows a November 2023 jury verdict that found DePape guilty of assaulting Paul Pelosi with a hammer at the couple’s California residence and attempting to kidnap Nancy Pelosi.
The attack occurred in October 2022, when DePape, a Canadian former nudist activist, broke into the Pelosis’ home to confront Nancy Pelosi about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Upon encountering Paul Pelosi, 82, instead, DePape repeatedly demanded, “Where’s Nancy?” before attacking Paul with a hammer, causing a skull fracture and other injuries.
In court, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley noted that despite DePape’s lack of criminal history and susceptibility to conspiracy theories, the violence of the attack was “completely gratuitous.” Prosecutors had recommended a 40-year prison sentence, arguing that the severity and premeditation of DePape’s actions warranted the maximum penalties under the law.
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During his testimony, DePape expressed regret for harming Paul Pelosi, stating, “He was never my target, and I’m sorry that he got hurt.” However, federal prosecutors emphasized the need for a significant sentence to meet sentencing goals and prevent similar future acts.
The Department of Justice, in a letter dated May 10, had argued that a 30-year sentence alone would not suffice, recommending a cumulative sentence that included 20 years for attempted kidnapping and 30 years for assault, to be served consecutively. They also suggested terms of supervised release and special assessments per count.
The incident was captured on video, showing the moments leading up to the attack as police officers arrived at the scene. Despite instructions from the officers, DePape refused to drop the hammer and proceeded to strike Paul Pelosi.
Paul Pelosi underwent successful surgery for his injuries and continues to recover from the physical and psychological effects of the attack. Nancy Pelosi, in her statement to the court, highlighted the lasting trauma her family has endured and urged for a “very long” sentence for DePape.
DSS manhandles two workers in N’Assembly
Operatives of the Department of State Services went on the rampage on Friday at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja as they manhandled two senior staff members, John Nnadi of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and Chris Odoh, a Deputy Director.
Trouble started for the duo when the DSS personnel demanded their identification cards as they made their way from the Senate Building to the White House, the magnificent edifice linking the Senate with the House of Representatives building.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that the National Assembly workers were stopped by the security agents for failing to identify themselves.
Infuriated by the boldness of the DSS personnel, the duo tried to force their way in, leading to their rough handling and assault by the security operatives.
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Efforts made by passersby to wade into the crisis worsened the incident as the armed men dragged Nnadi and Idoh to their office located in the White House Complex.
The manhandling of the staff elicited sympathy from staff members of the Money Deposit Banks as well as Senate correspondents present at the National Assembly.
Disturbed by the embarrassing development, staff of the National Assembly from various offices at the White House including the mace bearer in the Senate stormed the DSS office, demanding the immediate release of their colleagues.
In a bid to restore sanity, the Divisional Police Officer in the National Assembly, Alex Annagu and Deputy Clerk to the Senate (Legislative), Mrs Ilobah Isabella, rushed to the scene and appealed to everyone to return to their offices.
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