An 18-year-old man, identified simply as Sunday, is currently in the police custody in Abuja after he allegedly killed his parents’ landlady, identified only as Mama Moses.
The suspect was also accused of killing the landlady’s daughter and her three grandchildren.
It was gathered that the suspect, who lived with his parents in the landlady’s residence at Tudun-Fulani, in the Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory, reported himself to the police after committing the crime.
According to PUNCH Metro, Sunday locked the deceased in their apartment after they had slept in the night, sprayed the house with petrol and set it ablaze afterwards.
It was said that Sunday watched as the fire raged on and when he was sure that the victims were trapped, he headed for the Bwari Police Division.
The inferno reportedly lasted for hours before residents were able to put it out.
Charred remains of the five victims were eventually removed from the razed apartment and deposited in a morgue by the police.
It was gathered that Sunday’s mother had fled from the community.
Prior to the incident, which happened on Thursday, April 14, our correspondent learnt that there was a disagreement between the suspect and the landlady’s family members. He reportedly threatened to deal with them.
It was learnt that there was a relationship between the landlady’s daughter and Sunday, which broke recently.
The boy was said to have kept the family at arm’s length following the collapse of the relationship.
A police source told our correspondent that he and his colleagues were shocked when the suspect came to the station to report the matter.
He said:
“Last Thursday, after the family members had gone to bed, the suspect locked their apartment’s door from outside, drenched the building with fuel and set the house ablaze. By the time the police got there, they had been burnt beyond recognition.
“I was told that he and the landlady’s daughter were dating each other until recently when their relationship turned sour. He had been transferred to another division for further investigation.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in Abuja, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro, saying that the commissioner of police, FCT, had directed that the suspect be transferred to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.