Tragedy struck in the early hours of Monday as a devastating fire engulfed the residence of a Customs officer, Tijani Kabiru, who was attached to the Oyo/Osun Command, killing him, his wife, and four of their children in the Akankan Area of Ede, Osun State.
The midnight inferno has left the community in shock and mourning.
Residents woke to the heartbreaking news of the family’s demise, sparking panic and disbelief.
A neighbour, who identified himself as Kola and who witnessed the tragic event, recalled: “I can’t say when the fire started, but we observed smoke there at about 3am”
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Fire Service, Ibraheem Adekunle, shared a statement signed by the Director of the Service, Mr Olaniyi Alimi.
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.”
The remains of the deceased were handed over to officers from the ‘A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force.
