Ondo State Police Command on Wednesday paraded Ojo Joseph, 64, for allegedly setting fire on his five stepchildren in Ondo town.
Mr Ojo allegedly committed the act while the victims were asleep following a disagreement between him and their mother at the Fagun area of Ondo town, Ondo State, last Saturday.
One of the stepchildren died on the spot, while two others died at the hospital.
Ondo police spokesperson Funmilayo Odunlami said the suspect would be charged at the completion of investigation.
Odunlami confirmed that three of the five victims were confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, where they were receiving treatment.
Ojo told reporters that he committed the act out of anger because his wife and her children ganged up to beat him up in his house.
He said, “On that day (last Friday) around 7pm, I had a quarrel with my wife and those children joined my wife to beat me up; I was even injured. That was how they were doing whenever we quarreled. So, after they had all slept, out of anger, I went to get petrol and poured into their room and put fire.
“Before now, my wife was no longer taking care of me and yet, whenever quarrel happened between us, she and her children would gang up to beat me up.”
Meanwhile, the father of the victims Liadi Akinfolarin has demanded justice.
Mr Akinfolarin stated that he separated from their mother after she moved out of their matrimonial home, left the children to him and married the suspect.
