Tragedy struck in Gaun community, in the
Magboro area of Ogun State, after two children, Taiye and Kehinde
Oluwasegun, were burnt to death in an inferno that gutted their parents’
bungalow on Tuesday.
Sammyworldnews learnt that the incident happened around 8pm while the family was preparing to have dinner.
Our correspondent gathered that the
first born of the family, Iyanu, had tripped over a jerrycan of fuel,
which also spilled some of its content in the parlour.
While the mother mopped the spillage, the fuel was said to have flowed to a lantern in the house, which triggered an explosion.
Residents, who were alerted by calls for help, reportedly rescued Iyanu; the second child, Korede; and their parents.
However, the twin children, aged three, were burnt to death.
When our correspondent visited the area
on Wednesday, he observed that everything in the house was burnt as
smoke still billowed from burnt property in the three-bedroomed
bungalow.
Korede, six, who sustained burns in the leg, told PUNCH Metro that his father, Aina, was about taking their generator outside when his sister fell.
He said, “My daddy has two generators. We use the big one to pump water, while the small one is for the house.
“My daddy had put the small one in the
room to pour petrol into it before taking it to the cage that was
outside. My mummy was preparing food in the kitchen that time.
“My sister, who didn’t know there was a
jerrycan on the floor, tripped over it. My mum then took the mop to
clean spilled petrol. She was doing that when the fire started. There
were six of us in the house: my dad and mum, my sister, the twins and
me.”
Our correspondent observed that there
was no motorable road in the community and the area was connected to the
rest of Magboro by a stretch of rickety bamboo bridge.
A motorcyclist in the area, who did not identify himself, said the survivors were helped by residents to cross the bridge.
He said, “It was a difficult task getting the survivors to the hospital. We had to carry them on our backs with their burns.
“The woman kept asking for her twins, while the husband kept lamenting that he lost everything to the fire.”
Sammyworldnews visited Perfect Joy Hospital where three members of the family were taken to for treatment.
Our correspondent observed that Aina, a
carpenter, suffered severe burns in his legs, hands, face and chest,
while his wife, Abosede, a teacher, suffered burns in both legs.
It was learnt that she had yet to be informed that the twins were dead.
A relative of the victims, Pastor Moses
Igbinadolor, said Iyanu was in another hospital, adding that she
sustained serious burns.
He lamented the lack of basic amenities in the community, saying it made the rescue difficult.
“We took Iyanu to another hospital and
the doctor said she sustained 68 degrees burns. What, however, made the
case worse was that we couldn’t get across to the fire service because
there is no motorable road. The nearest police station is at Ibafo.
This just shows that we don’t have a listening government. No road, no
power, no water,” he said.
Our correspondent learnt that the case was not reported to the police.
The traditional ruler of Gaun community,
Sumonu Seidu, said a delegation from the community had visited the
victims in the hospital.
“I am aware the couple lost their twins after a fire incident,” he said.
