Customs officer, wife, four kids burnt to death in Osun inferno

• A resident of the area who identified himself simply as Kola said locals noticed smoke billowing out of the victims’ house around 3:am

In Osun State, A devastating fire incident has claimed the lives of one Tijani Kabiru, his wife and four children in their house.

Prior to the fire incident, which happened in Akankan Area of Ede in the early hours of Monday, Kabiru was a Customs officer attached to the Oyo/Osun Command.

The tragic occurrence has cast a dark cloud of sorrow and agony on the community as the residents mourn the deaths of the victims.

A resident of the area who identified himself simply as Kola said locals noticed smoke billowing out of the victims’ house around 3:am and immediately contacted the fire service operatives from the Ede Fire Station were contacted.

Despite responding early, Kola however said the house had been badly razed before the arrival of the firemen, adding that Kabiru, his wife, and the four children lost their lives in the inferno while one of the children escaped.

“I can’t say when the fire started, but we observed smoke at about 3 am. The response time of the firemen was not bad but the house had been badly affected before the fire could be subdued. Kabiru, his wife and four children were already burnt to death. But one of the children escaped death,” Punch quoted Kola as saying.

The spokesperson for the State Fire Service, Ibraheem Adekunle, confirmed the incident, saying six lives were lost to the inferno.

in a statement signed by its Director, Mr Olaniyi Alimi, the service said investigation into the incident has begun.

The statement partly read, “We were informed of the incident via a distress call to our emergency number 08030808254 at 3:21a.m and our team from Ede Zonal Command proceeded to the scene with a backup team joining them from Fire Service Headquarters, Abere.

“The address of the fire incident is Tijani Kabiru Road, Akankan Area, Ede North LG. The street was named after the deceased who was a Customs officer from Oyo/Osun Command.

“Mr Tijani Kabiru who was reported to be in his late 40s and his wife, said to be in her early 40s, lost their lives to the inferno that was suspected to have started like an hour before the fire service got the information.

“They (the couple) lost their lives alongside four of their children (three boys and a girl) with their ages ranging from three-10 years. The estimated loss to the inferno was put to around N200m, while the property saved was worth N500m.

“Their bodies were handed over to the men of A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force. Only one of their sons, out of the family of seven escaped from the fire. The boy who escaped from the fire is about 13 years of age. The cause of the incident is still unknown, but a probe to unravel it has begun.”