A 54-year-old man set his family house ablaze, killing his wife, two children and his own biological parents in Kumasi, a commercial city 270 km north of Accra.Samuel Agyeman, 54, was suspected to have carried out the dastardly act following alleged threats by his wife, Afia Agyeiwaa, 50, to divorce him, the Daily Graphic said. The report identified the other victims as Opanin Agyeman Tawiah and Madam Soti Modey, both in their 80s, parents of Agyeman, and two of his children whose names were not immediately available but were said to be aged one and 22. Two other children of Agyeman, whose names were not given but their ages were said to be 27 and 24 respectively, are on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi.The incident, which occurred at Breman Kwantwima, a suburb of Kumasi and widely carried by local FM radio, was said to have thrown the entire community into a state of mourning. Agyeman lived with his wife, children and ailing parents in the same house. But, following quarrels between the couple in recent times, Agyeiwaa had threatened to divorce the husband who also threatened to burn down the family house.Last Sunday night, according to the report, neighbors saw Agyeman in the house but there was no sign he intended carrying out his threat. However, at about 3 am on Monday (same as GMT), some neighbors saw smoke emitting from the house, which made them rush to the scene but the fire had become so fierce that they could not do anything about it. Before firefighters could be called to the scene the five persons had all died, the reports said.Two other children of the couple who had serious burns were rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, the police have mounted a manhunt for Agyeman, who escaped soon after the act, while the remains of the five have been deposited at the mortuary.
