Tragedy struck the Akankan area of Ede in Osun State on Monday as fire claimed the lives of Tijani Kabiru, a Customs officer attached to the Oyo/Osun Command, along with his wife and four children.
The heartbreaking incident, which occurred in the early hours of the day, left the community in deep mourning.
Residents reported observing smoke emanating from the house at about 3 a.m., prompting an emergency call to the Ede Fire Service. Although firefighters responded promptly, the blaze had already consumed the house, leaving devastating consequences.
A neighbour identified as Kola shared, “I can’t say when the fire started, but we observed smoke 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 death.”
Osun State Fire Service confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its director, Olaniyi Alimi. According to the statement, six lives were lost in the inferno while one child managed to escape.
The statement 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.”
The victims included Kabiru, who was in his late 40s, his wife, in her early 40s, and their four children aged between three and 10. The estimated damage from the fire is put at N200 million while property worth N500 million was saved.
The bodies were handed over to the police for further investigation.
The fire service also confirmed that efforts to determine the cause of the fire are underway.
