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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Ruth Suter

Tearful Scots neighbours pay tribute to 'smiling' mum-of-four 'set on fire by husband'

Tearful neighbours paid tribute to a 'smiley' mum-of-four who died after allegedly being set on fire by her estranged husband on a trip home to Nigeria from Scotland.

Mum Chinyere Ogudoro, 46, died alongside her brother Ifeanyi Edoziem during an alleged incident at her family home in Lagos on Friday morning.

The business graduate was living in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow after moving to Scotland with her children four years ago to study at Glasgow Caledonian University.

She travelled alone to Nigeria on Thursday and died at the scene of the alleged incident in the early hours of Friday morning.

It is understood her four children are still in Scotland.

Her estranged husband Benjamin Ogudoro, 50, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Chinyere was a mother-of-four (Facebook)

One Glasgow neighbour, who broke down in tears at the news said: “I am so upset.

“She was a very nice woman and a really good mum. They seemed like a very happy family.

“The kids were always very pleasant, she did a very good job raising them”.

Another tearful neighbour said: "Whenever I saw her she always said hello.

"She always had a big smile and was a warm person.

It is absolutely tragic.”

Another neighbour said: "It is absolutely awful.

"They seemed like a very happy family, I would see them out and about together quite a lot.

“My heart breaks for her kids."

Reports in Nigeria say Chinyere had returned to speak with her Ogudoro after finding out he planned to sell their family home without her permission.

It is understood she had obtained a student visa in 2018 to move to Scotland with her four children and husband before he returned home.

He is accused of having set his wife and brother-in-law on fire as they slept.

Her younger brother later died in hospital but was able to give a dying declaration to police, alleging that his brother-in-law was responsible.

In the statement, reported by Nigerian newspaper The Nation, he said: "I went to pick my sister from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport when she returned.

"We were sleeping when her husband came in late, banging on the door. We had a little misunderstanding as he accused me of locking him outside.

"I told him I didn't bolt the door; that I only used the key lock, and besides, he could have opened it since he had his keys with him.

"He kept shouting that I locked him out. He insulted me and my sister but we kept quiet.

"He left the room only to return when we had fallen asleep. He poured petrol on us, lit a match and went out. We were burning. I managed to escape but couldn't save my sister."

Chinyere moved to Scotland with her kids four years ago (Facebook)

Chinyere had set up her own management consultancy company in Glasgow after graduating with a Masters.

Dr Colin Combe, of the Department of Business Management at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "I am very shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Chinyere.

"I admired her dedication to her studies and the welfare of her children and wider family.

"Her motivation for undertaking the course was to enable a better future for them.

"Chinyere will be missed by all who knew her and I send my heartfelt condolences to her family and friends."

Superintendent Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, said: "Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr Benjamin Ogudoro set ablaze his wife Chinyere Ogudoro who just returned from Scotland, alongside her brother Ifeanyi Edoziem.

"Ifeanyi, in a dying declaration, stated that Mr Benjamin had accused his wife and Ifeanyi of having locked him out of the house, a claim they denied because they believed Mr Benjamin had a spare key.

"While Chinyere Ogudoro died in the fire, her brother Ifeanyi Edoziem died later in the hospital.

"Mr Benjamin has since been arrested and further investigations are ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lagos."

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