A Pastor working with New Baptist Church and a female assistant were on Saturday burnt to death in a fire set by a female 40-year-old jealous lover, Etifa Obukulubu.
The Pastor died in the ablaze along with his assistant over suspicion of cheating.
The incident occurred in Igbogene area of Yenagoa Local Government Area of the Bayelsa State capital.
Spokesperson to the Bayelsa Police Command, Mr Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident and said investigation is ongoing.
While some residents claimed the burnt house was owned by the targeted girl’s family, others claimed it was rented by the deceased Pastor.
Sources said that the incident occurred at about 3am on Saturday resulting in pandemonium as attempt to rescue the occupants of the building failed.
The inability to rescue them arose from the fact that the exit door out of the house was jammed from outside when the targeted girlfriend reportedly vacated her home for the deceased Pastor and his assistant who came from outside the State on an evangelical mission.
The source in Igbogene Community said that the suspect, who is a commercial driver, had waited for his girlfriend to come home, “but maybe on sighting her with a man and another girl, he got angry and set the home ablaze.
“He waited for them to enter the house. And use fuel to set fire round the house. But he did not know that his girlfriend had left to go and sleep with another friend.”
Another resident, who described the suspect as a loner, said the incident shocked everyone in the area, “these lovers were staying three houses apart and no one suspected they were dating.”
“It is unfortunate that the pastor and his assistant died in the fire. I was told the Pastor was invited to preach in Yenagoa and the estranged girlfriend offered her home for them to sleep so for them to leave early.”
Copyright Niger Delta Today Online
