Police have arrested an 80-year-old man, Mr Cyril Duru, in Imo State over the allegedly setting family house ablaze in Owerri West Local Government Area.

The incident was disclosed to journalists by a family member, Mr Uche Duru, who said the suspect, a native of Umueze Orogwe, was accused of setting the house on fire following a long-standing dispute over the ownership of the property.

According to Uche, family members were shocked to see the building suddenly engulfed in flames, adding that they are yet to fully understand how the fire started. He said the house, which consisted of six rooms and a parlour, was completely razed, leaving nothing behind.

However, the suspect denied the allegation while speaking with journalists. Mr Cyril Duru accused his late brother’s wife, Marita Chiayalam Duru, and her children of causing the fire, claiming he had repeatedly warned them against using a gas cooker in the house because of the potential danger.

Reacting, Marita Duru dismissed the accusation, alleging that her late husband’s brother had on several occasions threatened to kill them and burn down the house.

She claimed that on the night before the incident, she saw Mr Cyril holding a bottle containing petrol, which he allegedly described as kerosene when confronted.

“We woke up the next morning to find the entire house in flames, with all our belongings destroyed, as efforts to salvage some items failed due to the intensity of the fire,” she said.

Marita further alleged that her husband’s brother had repeatedly ordered them to vacate the house, insisting that he was the rightful owner of the property.

She said he also claimed to have allocated land to her late husband to build a separate house and complained that accommodating them for a long time had become unbearable.

She countered his claims by stating that the house was a joint family project built through collective contributions, adding that the family lived peacefully for many years until recently, when Mr Cyril allegedly began threatening to destroy the house in order to sell the land.

Speaking on the incident, one of the village heads, Nze Ukachi Nzeka, told journalists that some youths in the community attempted to put out the fire but were allegedly prevented from doing so by Mr Cyril. (Sunday Tribune, excluding headline)