The Police in Ebonyi State have confirmed the death of a mother and her seven children in an inferno on Saturday.
George Okafor, the command’s Public Relations Officer, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday that the incident occurred at Ohufu village, Ogboji community of Ishiellu Local Government Area of the state.
Okafor said: “We have commenced investigations into the matter and would make its outcome public on conclusion.
“The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately as we would determine this in the course of the investigations.”
Eyewitnesses also told NAN that the victims met their death when the two thatched houses they were sleeping in suddenly caught fire at about 3am.
“The mother of the children was trapped in the inferno while battling to save them, as only her husband, Sylvanus Nwefuru, and one of their children, Ukamaka, survived the incident,” a witness said.
Henry Eze, the Caretaker Chairman of Ishiellu Local Government Council, lamented the disaster and called on security agencies to investigate the matter.
“We are still grappling to comprehend this mysterious incident, but as a council, we will educate the populace to shun acts that cause fire outbreaks,” he said.
NAN recalls that Ebonyi State has been hit with spate of fire outbreaks since the beginning of 2016, which had caused the destruction of properties worth millions of Naira.
Prominent among the disasters were those of a section of the Abakaliki main market and a highly populated residential building in the town.
