A midnight inferno claimed the lives of Customs officer Tijani Kabiru, his wife, and four of their children in the Akankan Area of Ede, Osun State, on Monday. Kabiru, attached to the Oyo/Osun Command, was in his late 40s, while his wife was in her early 40s. The couple’s children who perished in the fire were aged between three and ten years.
The incident has plunged the community into shock and mourning. According to a neighbor, Kola, the fire broke out around 3 a.m., engulfing the residence before firefighters could contain it.
“I can’t say when the fire started, but we observed smoke at about 3 a.m. 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. One of the children, a 13-year-old boy, managed to escape,” Kola recounted.
The Osun State Fire Service confirmed the tragedy in a statement signed by its director, Mr. Olaniyi Alimi. Firefighters from the Ede Zonal Command, with backup from the Fire Service Headquarters in Abere, responded to the emergency.
The statement revealed that the street where the fire occurred, Customs Tijani Kabiru Road, was named after the deceased officer. The inferno caused an estimated loss of N200 million, while property worth N500 million was saved.
The remains of the victims have been handed over to officers from the A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
This heartbreaking incident has left a void in the Ede community, as residents grapple with the loss of an entire family.