A wave of grief has swept through Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State after two teenage sisters were allegedly burnt to death by their father’s jealous lover in a suspected love-related attack.
The suspect, identified as Mbayegh, was said to have set the girls’ room ablaze after she was allegedly prevented from spending the night with their father, Aondoyima Ierkwagh, in the Kaffe area of Zaki-Biam.
The tragic incident occurred on Monday night.
Sources in the community said the suspect visited Ierkwagh’s residence intending to spend the night but was turned away. Believing she had been rejected because another woman was with him, she allegedly refused to leave the premises.
To avoid further confrontation, Ierkwagh reportedly locked his two daughters inside their room before retiring to another part of the house with another companion.
However, at about midnight, the suspect allegedly returned to the compound and set the girls’ room on fire while they were asleep.
One of the sisters was burnt beyond recognition, while the second victim was rescued by neighbours and rushed to a hospital, where she later died from severe burns.
Their mother was said to be away in Taraba State for seasonal farming when the incident occurred.
The suspect, said to be from Buruku Local Government Area, has been arrested and is currently in police custody.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said investigations were ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
“The report we got from the father of the girls was that a person set his house on fire. Neighbours tried to rescue the girls and rushed them to the hospital.
“Tragically, they died while receiving treatment. I cannot definitively say yet whether it was a lovers’ quarrel,” Edet said.
She confirmed that one suspect had been arrested and assured that a thorough investigation was underway to ensure justice for the deceased girls.
