A family of four was burnt
to death when Chinedu Elliot, who had stored fuel in his apartment, dropped a
burning stick of cigarette near some gallons of fuel.
Gado-Nasko area of Kubwa, a
suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Bwari Area Council, was in panic, as
the house hold blazes with fire.
Nigerians bought fuel in
jerry-cans to store in their homes due to fuel-scarcity for subsequent use, Mr
Elliot had reportedly bought fuel in three gallons from where he purportedly
tops up his vehicle daily.
The pathetic incident,
which happened at about few minutes to midnight and stretched into the wee
hours of Saturday, threw residents into mourning as Elliot, his pregnant wife
and two children were burnt beyond recognition.
A resident, who identified
himself as Afolayan Ayodele, wept uncontrollably as he narrated the incident.
He said, “Nigeria don do
their worse. My neighbour, all of us na hustlers we be. (Sic)
“I last saw him at about
11: 15 p.m when I was by my balcony and he took a walk out, saying he wanted to
smoke some sticks of cigarette before retiring for the day. I’m sure he later
came to sit close to where he stored the fuel but failed to quench his
cigarette properly before going in,” Ayodele said.
“This fuel scarcity forced
us to store fuel in our homes, otherwise, we no go chop. Oh God, which kind
life be this? Ohh! Why? How? This is wickedness, the devil must have been at
work in this bad situation. (Sic)
“Operatives of fire service
could not be reached. We persistently called to no avail. We used everything we
could to stop the fire. The fire even extended to my house but it didn’t cause
much damage,” he added.
The deceased’s brother,
Elliot Nonso said his supposed ‘wayward’ life saved him.
He said he went ‘clubbing’
against his brother’s wish.
“Friday nights are usually
very boring for me if I am at home. So as usual, I thought I should go turn up
with the boys. For the very first time, my brother didn’t want me to go out but
I insisted. (Sic)
“I received a call that
this unfortunate thing caught up with my brother and his family. I don’t even
know where to start,” he sobbed.
A police officer attached
to the Kubwa Police Command, one Cpl Magaji Ismail, speaking on behalf of the
Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Chief Superintendent Nurrudeen Sabo, confirmed
the incident saying, “Seeing all these, what can I possibly say?
“I’m not disposed to utter
any statement but I must say this is tragic”.
Ismail, who obviously was
still in shock over the sad incident, urged Nigerians to desist from storing
fuel in their homes.
“If you must reserve
petrol, then it should be a bit far from your home. Also, if you must smoke,
this is harmattan period, make sure there are no flammables around and
endeavour to quench it,” he added.
DAILYPOST
ThiS is what our Country s situation has caused us. Very Sad Sad Story . May they Rest In Peace Amen
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