Wife sets husband ablaze in Abuja

Tragedy struck on Wednesday, as senior legislative adviser to Senator Mohammed Saleh and a former staff of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kaduna, Mohammed Ibrahim Matazu, lost his life from severe burns he suffered when his wife set him ablaze. It was further learnt that the deceased had a domestic quarrel with his second wife, who allegedly complained that he was spending too much time with his first wife in Kaduna.

Saturday Sun gathered that Matazu’s second wife, simply called Mummy, had complained bitterly as her husband was preparing to travel to Kaduna, saying that she would no longer bear her husband’s long absence from her in Abuja. Sources revealed that in an attempt to stop her husband from travelling on that day, she allegedly drew some fuel from a generator set, emptied it on her husband and set him on fire at their Gwarinpa residence, Abuja.

He was rushed to Zone 3, Wuse hospital. He was briefly treated there as his body was bandaged. But according to the doctor’s report, 77 percent of his body was severely burnt, though he was speaking and discussing with people. “Then the senator came and met us, and advised that we should take him to the National Hospital, Abuja, but by the time we arrived the hospital, they said there was no more bed for admission. Then we went to University of Abuja Teaching hospital, in Gwagwalada, only to be told that they were on strike.

It was at this point that we begged for an ambulance to enable us take him to 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. When we arrived 44 Hospital at about 10 pm, they started treating him, but we later moved to Giwa Specialist Hospital, and from there we took him to Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria based on the advice on doctors at 44 Hospital. “The doctors at Shika, about seven of them, tried their best and treated him, and my brother was actually responding to treatment.
He died on thursday.

The wife is currently being detained at Wuse police station. We have nothing to say; we have left everything to law to take its due course.” Reacting to this, Senator Saleh said: “Ibrahim Matazu was a very pleasant and friendly personality.

Extracted from: Sun