By Sam Kayode
A woman in her 70’s and four of her grand children have lost their lives in a domestic fire incident, triggered by a lighted mosquito coil which engulfed their house while sleeping. The incident happened in their village, Kofa, in the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
This was confirmed by the Chairman of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Fati Zannah.
The elderly woman who lives in Kofa community not far from Bintu Suga in the outskirts of Maiduguri with seven of her grandkids, had informed one of them to put on the coil against mosquitoes which she did and went out later.
Her niece who is the chairperson of the NAWOJ in the state told this reporter that out of the seven grand kids living with her, some escaped the fire as they were not in but those who died with her range from two, four, six and 13 years.
“We believe that after a while the mosquito coil engulfed the rug of the room where Yamai as she is popularly called stayed and spread to the entire house. This is because there was no other source of fire in the house at that time other than the coil.
“In the commotion, it became too late to escape because the tiny tots were afraid of the smoke. so they all crept back to the old woman and stayed put till the fire engulfed all of them after the roof caved in on them.” Said Fati
Narrating the incident further, Nawoj Chairperson Fatima posited that her Aunty Yamai could not move around easily which is why she was caught up and could not move herself or the kids outside her house.
Sadly she just layed down and waited for death to come when the roof caved in on them in the house.
She has since been buried according to islamic rites and the third day prayer done on Wednesday.
Hundreds of sympathisers thronged the residence of the disease and wept openly on seeing the charred bodies of the four kids before they were prepared for burial.
Yamai is survived by five children, nephews and nieces such as the NAWOJ Chairperson and the former President of the Old students association of the Federal Government College Maiduguri, Suleiman Dikwa 12 grand children and a multitude of extended family members.
