Midnight fire burns customs officer, family to death
Story by Victor Itodo ABUH
A tragic midnight fire on Monday claimed the lives of Tijani Kabiru, a Customs officer with the Oyo/Osun Command, his wife, and four of their children in the Akankan Area of Ede, Osun State.
The devastating inferno, which occurred in the early hours of the morning, plunged the local community into grief and disbelief.
Neighbours reported waking up to the shocking news, with one witness, Kola, recounting the incident:
“I can’t say when the fire started, but we observed smoke there 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.”
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Kola added that firefighters from the Ede Fire Station were contacted immediately after smoke was noticed, but the fire had already consumed most of the building by the time they arrived.
The Osun State Fire Service confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Ibraheem Adekunle, and signed by the Director of the Service, Mr. Olaniyi Alimi: Friday
“We were informed of the incident via a distress call to our emergency number 08030808254 at 3:21 a.m. Our team from Ede Zonal Command proceeded to the scene, with a backup team joining from the Fire Service Headquarters in Abere.
“The address of the fire incident is Customs Tijani Kabiru Road, Akankan Area, Ede North LG. The street was named after a deceased personnel, who was a Customs officer from the Oyo/Osun Command.
“Mr Tijani Kabiru reported to be in his late 40s, and his wife said to be in her early 40s, lost their lives alongside four of their children—three boys and a girl—aged between three and 10 years. The estimated loss from the inferno is around N200 million, while property worth N500 million was saved.”
A 13-year-old boy, one of the children, miraculously survived the fire.
The remains of the family members were handed over to officers from the A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force, while the community continues to mourn the loss.
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