Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki and Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Tragedy struck in Omege community, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Saturday, as a family of six met their tragic end following a fire outbreak in their residence. The victims were the head of the community, Michael Ogada, his pregnant second wife, Peace, and their four children. The children who perished in the inferno belonged to the second wife. They were Lambert, seven, Abigail, five, Beatrice, three, and Festus Ogada, one.
The fire, Daily Sun gathered, began around 2:30am and the villagers suspected that it could have been ignited by a hoodlum who had a face-off with the village head. The victims were burnt to ashes, as the fire was not detected on time.
The first wife of the deceased, Angela, was said to have been aroused from sleep by the choking smoke from the inferno. She was said to have made efforts to push open the door, which demarcated her apartment and that of her co-wife, but it was locked. The lady, according to sources, ran out and raised the alarm, calling on neighbours to assist in putting out the fire but, unfortunately, the entire house was already engulfed by the inferno.
It was gathered that the deceased village head had a running battle with an undisclosed villager over a piece of land over which the he had threatened to lock up the latter in police custody, if he failed to stay away from the land. With this tragedy, the villagers are pointing the accusing finger at him.
Meanwhile, the police spokesperson in the state, ASP Loveth Odah, could not be reached for confirmation as her phone was switched off.
In the same vein, property and fish containers worth millions of naira were destroyed on Saturday night when fire razed the Kano Cooperative Fish Market, Kofar Nassarawa, in Kano metropolis.
The fire, which started around 8:30pm, lasted for some hours, destroying 27 containers of fish, before the state fire service brought it under control.
Although the cause of the fire could not be immediately established, traders in the market were seen removing the debris when Governor Abdullahi Ganduje visited the scene of the incident on Sunday morning.
Addressing victims of the fire disaster, the governor said it was sad that goods, cash and other valuables were destroyed.
“It is very sad that you have lost cash and property at a time when the economic situation in the country is not very favorable. Please take it as predestined and I pray that Allah will prevent recurrence,” he said.
He assured the tradrs that his administration would do its best to alleviate their condition, explaining that mechanisms would be put in place to quantify the loss and the number of traders affected.
The governor urged residents of the state to be cautious while handling ignitable substances, particularly during the prevailing harmattan season.