Mukaila Adebesin, a middle aged man was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for setting six youths ablaze
for gambling and smoking Indian hemp in his Ita Balogun Compound, Ago-Oko, Abeokuta on Tuesday.
The affected victims are Adesanya, 20, Sulaiman Adebesin, 20, Saburi Seteolu 18, Raheem Bello 19, Azeez Alabi 20, and Kola Sodeinde 19.
A witness, who pleaded anonymity, said Adebesin, a commercial bus driver, had just returned from an outing when he saw the six youths in his compound.
He said, “Their activities made the driver engage them in an argument. As the talks became heated, Adebesin reached for a can of petrol which he emptied on them.
“The victims attempted to flee when it dawned on them that the liquid poured on them was petrol.
“But they caught fire from a stick of the Indian hemp being smoked by one of them. They suffered high degree burns due to the incident.”
Adebesin, who is currently being detained at Oke-Itoku Police Station, was said to have turned himself in to the police immediately after the incident.
According to reports, other youths in the area, on learning of the development, stormed Adebesin’s compound, and vandalised his apartment and injured his wife who is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Abeokuta.
Adejobi, a Deputy Superintended of Police, said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the matter, adding that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation into the matter was concluded.
He also warned youths in the area not to engage in any reprisal attack, saying that that could disrupt peace of the area.
Four of the victims were admitted at the emergency unit of the General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, while others were taken to private hospitals.