•Fire outbreak
A man, his wife, and three children have lost their lives in an inferno at the Kofar Sauri community in the metropolitan area of Katsina State.
The incident which occurred in the early hours of today, also saw most of the household items burnt beyond recognition, reports The Guardian.
A source from the area who asked not to be named said the incident occurred shortly after power was restored to the area.
He said there was an unusual electricity surge when power was restored, and that he suspected the surge may have been responsible for the inferno.
He said the local power company was notorious for restoring electricity mostly late at night, and that the level of power they sometimes supply to the community was very high voltage.
Another resident said the harmattan wind, which had gradually picked up in the state in recent days, may have been the reason behind the fire incident.
He said the state had witnessed several fire incidents in the past, and that many of them were suspected to be as a result of the cold and windy weather.
However, another resident in the area called on relevant security agencies to investigate the circumstances that led to the inferno to rule out the possibility of sabotage.
It was learnt that the bodies of the deceased persons have been evacuated to the hospital, and will be buried later today according to Islamic rites.
At the time of report, the police, federal, and state Fire Services have not released further details on the incident.
In other news, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, on Sunday witnessed two tragic road accidents while returning from the first phase of his statewide tour in the Funtua Zone.
According to a statement by Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, the incidents occurred shortly after his principal had concluded engagements in the Matazu Local Government Area (LGA).
“The first crash occurred within Matazu town, where the Governor’s convoy came upon a commercial Golf vehicle involved in a fatal accident,” Mohammed said.
“The vehicle, which was carrying several passengers, was severely damaged. Four lives were unfortunately lost, while ten others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
“Governor Radda immediately ordered his convoy to stop and personally supervised the evacuation of the victims. Medical teams attached to the convoy provided emergency support while awaiting additional responders.”
Mohammed added that Radda spoke at the scene, with the governor saying: “No leader should drive past such a tragedy. We stopped because these victims are our brothers and sisters. Their lives matter, and it is our duty to respond with compassion and urgency.
“This painful loss is a reminder of how fragile life is. My heart is with the families of the deceased, and we will continue supporting those affected.”
