- Family Feud Turns Tragic as 80-Year-Old Man Allegedly Burns House in Imo
- The inferno completely destroyed the house, leaving the family devastated
- Police say investigations into the incident are ongoing
An 80-year-old man, Mr. Cyril Duru, is currently in police custody in Imo State over allegations that he deliberately set a family house on fire following a prolonged dispute over ownership of the property.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Duru, from Umueze Orogwe community in Owerri West Local Government Area, was accused by relatives of orchestrating the arson after disagreements with family members over who rightfully owns the house.
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A family member, Mr. Uche Duru, told journalists that residents were thrown into shock when they suddenly noticed the six-room building, with a parlour, engulfed in flames. He said the inferno completely destroyed the house, leaving the family devastated and struggling to understand how the incident occurred.
However, the suspect denied the allegation when questioned by journalists. Mr. Duru claimed the fire was caused by his late brother’s wife, Mrs. Marita Chiayalam Duru, and her children, alleging that he had repeatedly warned them against using a gas cooker in the house due to the risk of fire.
Mrs. Chiayalam Duru strongly refuted the claim, accusing her late husband’s brother of being responsible for the blaze. She alleged that Mr. Cyril had, on several occasions, threatened to kill members of her family and burn down the house.
She further claimed that on the night before the incident, she saw him holding a bottle containing petrol, which he insisted was kerosene when she confronted him.
According to her, the family woke up the following morning to find the entire building in flames, with all their belongings destroyed, as efforts to salvage property proved futile due to the intensity of the fire.
Mrs. Duru also stated that her brother-in-law had repeatedly ordered them to vacate the house, claiming sole ownership of the property and insisting he had earlier allocated land for her late husband to build a separate home.
She countered that the house was a joint family project built through collective contributions and noted that the family had lived peacefully for many years until recent threats allegedly made by Mr. Cyril to destroy the building and sell the land.
Corroborating her account, one of the village heads, Nze Ukachi Nzeka, told journalists that some youths who attempted to put out the fire were allegedly prevented from doing so by the suspect.
Police say investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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