Woman Who Escaped Fire Narrates How Her Child, Husbands Died

A woman identified as Mrs Regina Opoke, who was almost killed in a house fire after an assailant razed down her house, has narrated how her child and husbands died.

The fire incident happened in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Speaking to newsmen, the woman spoke on her relationship with the assailant, who was later arrested, and also how she lost her family members in previous incidents.

It happened at midnight; I was in my house and suddenly, I heard a sound as if someone banged on my door. But before that, I had heard a violent altercation outside as if two people were fighting. So, when I heard a bang on the door and it opened, I saw the suspect looking everywhere and shouting, “Where are matches? Where are matches?” It was then I quietly opened the back door and ran away into the bush. That was how I escaped.

I didn’t do anything to him. I never had any quarrel with him. After he was apprehended, some people in the community asked if I did anything wrong to him and he said no. I think he was possessed by the devil.

I’m still very surprised and completely dumbfounded by the incident. Sometimes, I think the devil must have pushed him to do what he did. Sometimes, I think it must be sheer wickedness, and at other times, I think he must have had a mental illness. But he doesn’t have any mental ailment. And I cannot say he was envious of me; what do I have that would make him to be envious of me? He was just wicked.

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Talking about her family members she lost at different periods:

The situation has been very bad for me. Consider it: how will a childless woman feel? She will always feel sad. Life has been difficult for me to be honest. That I’m alive today is because of the people God has directed to assist me. I would have been dead if not for the benevolence of God’s people. I did everything and went to different places, just to have a child, but all to no avail.

I had one child with my first husband, but he died during the Nigerian Civil War. Later, my first husband died of cholera. I remarried and shortly after the marriage, something happened. I was told his (my second husband’s) cousin, who was an apprentice with a businessman in Onitsha, Anambra State, allegedly stole his boss’ money; they said it was a lot of money. So his boss asked the apprentice’s relations to come to Onitsha so that the matter could be resolved. My second husband had an accident on his way to Onitsha and died. He died within two months of our marriage. We had no child.