Fresh details have emerged regarding the tragic incident at Wellington Bassey Barracks, Ibagwa, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, which led to the death of a Nigerian Army officer, Lieutenant Samson Haruna.
The deceased officer’s wife, who is currently in custody assisting with investigations, has given her own account of what transpired on the day of the incident.
According to her, the marriage had been marred by constant domestic violence since its early days. She claimed that her husband frequently assaulted her, and that at one point, she suffered a miscarriage as a result of the beatings — a situation she said was well known among residents of the barracks.
Narrating what happened on the day of the tragedy, the woman said the officer had ordered her to leave the house on September 22, warning that something terrible would happen if she refused. She alleged that he instructed her to vacate the house without taking along any of the items he had bought for her, threatening to destroy them.
She said, “He went to work that day and told me he didn’t want to see me when he returned. When he came back, he brought petrol and threatened to set me ablaze if I didn’t leave immediately. I thought he was joking until he picked up a lighter.”
Afraid for her life, she said she called the Commanding Officer (CO) to report the situation, but the response did not come quickly.
“In the process, he mistakenly kicked the petrol container, spilling the contents on the floor. The lighter fell from his hand and ignited the fire. I ran out screaming for help, while he went back inside to retrieve his documents, but the flames spread and engulfed him,” she recounted tearfully.
The Army authorities and relevant security agencies have since commenced a full investigation into the incident to ascertain the actual cause of the fire and circumstances leading to the officer’s death.
