A horrific fire ravaged the property of a customs officer, Tijani Kabiru, posted to the Oyo/Osun Command, killing him, his wife, and four of their children in Ede’s Akankan Area on Monday morning.
The nocturnal inferno has left the town in shock and grief.
Residents awoke to the terrible news of the family’s death, which caused panic and shock.
Kola, a neighbour who watched the sad event, recounted, “I don’t know when the fire started, but we saw smoke there around 3 a.m.
“The response time of the firemen was not bad, but the house had been badly affected before the inferno could be subdued. Kabiru, his wife, and four children were already burnt to death. But one of the children escaped.”
Kola stated that firefighters from the Ede Fire Station were swiftly notified once smoke was noticed.
However, by the time they arrived, the inferno had burnt most of the house.
Confirming the event, Ibraheem Adekunle, spokesperson for the Osun State Fire Service, published a statement signed by the service’s director, Mr. Olaniyi Alimi.
The statement read, “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 the deceased, 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.”
The only survivor, a 13-year-old boy, miraculously escaped the inferno. The deceased’s remains were turned over to police from the Nigeria Police Force’s A Division.
