It was a sad love story when a middle-aged man identified as Baby Face strangled his lover and set himself ablaze at the Kom Kom area of Oyigbo in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
It was gathered that Baby Face had invited her lover over to his house in Kom Kom, a densely populated area in Oyigbo, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt at the weekend when the incident occurred.
A source in the area said the man had interrogated his girlfriend and demanded explanation over an alleged affair she was having with another man, a situation that led to a heated argument between the love birds.
According to the eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, the explanation given by the girl was not satisfactory, hence Baby Face descended on her, battered the girl and reportedly strangled her in the process.
Taunted by his actions, he tried to conceal the act by setting fire to the building, but was trapped in the inferno and also gave up the ghost.
He further said the man realising what he had done, set fire to the apartment and was burnt to death, alongside the remains of the girl, whose identity had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
The source said, “The incident happened at the weekend in Kom-Kom, Oyigbo. A young boy who bears the name Babe Face had an altercation with her girlfriend over issues that had to do with another man.
“In the process, they had an argument. The boy pounced on this girl and beat her severely and strangled her in the process.
“After killing the girl, he set his apartment ablaze as a move to cover his track but was caught up in the inferno. He was burnt to death with the girl’s corpse inside the house.”
He said the incident caused panic in the neighbourhood, as residents deserted the area for fear of being arrested by the police.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident.
Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, said it was a fire incident, which claimed the girl’s life.
“From what I have, it was a fire incident. The girl died and the man was taken to the hospital where he was receiving treatment, but he later died.
“We have launched an investigation into the incident to find out what really happened. We will make our findings public,” she stated.
