Ayomidele Oluwasusi
OSUN, Nigeria – An officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), his wife and children have reportedly died in a fire incident.
The devastating fire engulfed the residence of Mr Tijani Kabiru, who is attached to the Oyo/Osun Command of the NCS, killing him, his wife, and four of their children in the Akankan Area of Ede, Osun State.
An eyewitness and neighbour – identified only as Kola said, “I can’t say when the fire started, but we observed smoke there at about 3am.
“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.”
Kola told local newspaper The Punch that firefighters from the Ede Fire Station were promptly contacted after smoke was detected.
But, by the time they arrived, the fire had already consumed much of the house.
However, the spokesperson for the Osun State Fire Service, Ibraheem Adekunle, confirmed the incident in a statement signed by the Director of the Service, 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 nd 10 years. The estimated loss from the inferno is around ₦200 million, while property worth ₦500 million was saved.”
A 13-year-old boy, reportedly escaped the fire incident.
The remains of the deceased were handed over to officers from the A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force.
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