A 50-year-old man Ojo Ogundeji has set himself on fire, razing his father’s house in Oloruntedo area, Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Witnesses disclosed that the deceased locked himself inside a room and lit the fire.
It was gathered he told his rescuers before he died that he committed the act because he was being mocked about his living condition.
He was said to have returned from Lagos State to celebrate Christmas and New Year holidays with his family.
It was cries from his room that attracted people but he died minutes after he was taken to the hospital.
A witness, Mrs Sabaina Ogundeji, said: “In the morning, Ojo set fire under the staircase of the house and said nobody should put it off. But with the help of people on the street, it was put off.
“In the evening, everybody was outside playing. So, Ojo went in and brought out his clothes and set them on fire. He later went inside and locked himself up in the room and set it on fire. It was his voice we heard when he was shouting. People ran there to force the door open and brought him out. But he later died in the hospital.”
Another witness said: “When we rescued Ojo, he was not yet dead. He told us that he set the house on fire because some people were making jest of him because of his problem.
“His remains have been deposited at the morgue in the state hospital, Ondo.”
Meanwhile, Police sources at the Enu-Owa division confirmed that the incident was reported.
