In a heartbreaking incident on Sunday, a man in his early thirties, identified as Mr Onyiuke Nwedeogu, allegedly set himself ablaze and ignited a fire that consumed the family house following a minor altercation with his wife.

The tragic incident occurred in Ndiechi Igbeagu, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

According to an eyewitness who requested anonymity, the conflict began on Sunday morning when Onyiuke had a disagreement with his wife, Felicia Nwedeogu.

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The argument escalated to the point where he physically assaulted her.

Following the altercation, Onyiuke gathered his clothing and placed them in the family’s provision shop.

Dissatisfied with his parents’ attempts at mediation after taking the issue to their home, which is a few kilometers away, Onyiuke returned to his residence.

In a shocking turn of events, he forcibly removed the window protector of the house where his wife and three daughters were sleeping and set the building on fire using Premiumotor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as Fuel.

Sources indicated that Felicia and her three children were rescued from the burning house through the same window from which the husband had removed the protector.

Despite their narrow escape, they were left with only a wrapper and children’s pants as the fire engulfed the entire house.

After setting the house ablaze, Onyiuke reportedly drove away in his bus.

He was later taken to the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital (AE-FETHA) by a man named Elijah, where he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

The deceased’s body has since been deposited at the AE-FETHA morgue.

When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed that the command had not yet received a formal report on the incident at the time of publication.