The Police in Benue has arrested one Mbalumen Ikyenge for allegedly setting ablaze the house of Aondoyima Ierkwagh leading to the death of his two daughters in Zaki-Biam, Ukum LGA.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed the incident on Tuesday in Makurdi.
Edet said the command received a report from the father of the deceased girls alleging that a person set his house on fire.
“I don’t really know if it was a lovers’ quarrel that resulted in the act, but the report we got from the father of the girls was that someone set his house on fire,” the PPRO said.
She said that the victims were aged four and six years.
“Neighbours tried to rescue the girls by rushing them to the hospital but they died while receiving treatment. So, I can’t say whether it was a lovers’ quarrel,” she added.
The police spokesperson said a suspect, identified as Mbalumen Ikyenge, had been arrested and that investigation was ongoing.
However, some eyewitnesses alleged that the incident stemmed from a relationship dispute.
The witnesses, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the suspect visited the residence of her boyfriend, Ierkwagh, on Sunday night but was asked to leave.
The witnesses said she refused to leave after suspecting that another woman was with her boyfriend in the house.
The witnesses further claimed that Ierkwagh had locked his two daughters in a separate round hut before retiring to another hut.
According to the witnesses, at about midnight the suspect set the hut ablaze, believing another woman was inside, but the fire engulfed the structure where the two girls were sleeping.
Neighbours were said to have rescued the children and rushed them to the hospital, where they later died from severe burns.
Edet said the command was investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and to establish the motive behind the act.
She urged members of the public to remain calm and allow the investigation to run its course.