The man's wife had allegedly denied him s*x, so he took his anger out on his five stepchildren and set them on fire in Ondo.

Ojo Joseph, a 54-year-old man, was arrested by the Ondo State Police Command for the arson murder of his five stepchildren.

The tragic event took place in the Fagun Crescent neighborhood of Ondo town, the administrative center of the state's Ondo West Local Government Area.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect poured gasoline into the bedroom of his stepchildren and set them on fire while they were sleeping.

According to an eyewitness in the neighborhood who spoke with Nigerian Tribune, the man committed the atrocity because he was upset that the children's mother had denied him sex.

The source claims that the children's screams alerted nearby residents, who rushed to the scene in an attempt to rescue the youngsters, but tragically, one of the youngsters was killed in the fire.

The mother and her twins reportedly escaped the fire unscathed, but four of her children required immediate medical attention and were taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo.

On Sunday, Funmi Odunlami, a spokesperson for the command, confirmed the incident, saying the man had been arrested on suspicion of arson and murder.

Even though the PPRO clarified that the suspect is the stepfather and not the biological father of the victims, he is the father of the 18-month-old twins.

Odunlami stated that he had opened an investigation into the matter and that the man would be charged in court once the investigation was complete.