A tragedy unfolded in the early hours of Monday when a devastating fire consumed the home of Tijani Kabiru, a Customs officer with the Oyo/Osun Command, claiming his life along with those of his wife and four children.
The incident occurred in the Akankan area of Ede, Osun State.
The midnight blaze has left the community reeling, plunging residents into shock and grief.
News of the family’s tragic loss spread rapidly, stirring panic and disbelief among neighbors.
A neighbour, Kola, who witnessed the tragic event, recalled, “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 reported that firefighters from the Ede Fire Station were quickly alerted after smoke was noticed.
Unfortunately, by the time they reached the scene, the fire had already engulfed a significant portion of the house.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Fire Service, Ibraheem Adekunle, issued 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.
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“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 N200 million, while property worth N500 million was saved.”
A 13-year-old boy, the sole survivor, miraculously escaped the devastating blaze.
The remains of the victims were handed over to officers from the A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force.
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