They had gone to bed that fateful night in Gboko, Benue State, not knowing they would not sleep to see the break of a new day – no thanks to the outage in public power supply which compelled the head of the family, Lawani Oye, to put on his power generating set.

His intention was to avail his family members a good sleeping environment, but it all turned out a disaster that claimed the lives of no fewer than seven members of the family.

They were all roasted in an inferno that engulfed the block of three flats at the early hours of Friday, at Ayankor, close to Young Secondary School, Gboko East, in Gboko local government area of Benue State.

Sunday Vanguard gathered from an eyewitness that the inferno, which started at about 1am, engulfed the block of flats, killing the husband and wife, Mr. And Mrs. Lawani Oye, and their five children. Lawani Oye was said to be a popular automobile panel beater in Gboko while his wife was a business woman in the neighborhood.

‘Oye omo Yoruba,’ as he was popularly called at the mechanic village in Gboko, was said to have switched on his power generator but mistakenly left a lantern with flames not far from where the generator was positioned on the night of the incident.

This fatal mistake led to the razing of his house and the death of his entire household.
One of his colleagues, who simply gave his name as Ter, said the late Oye, before his untimely death, was one of the most trusted hands in the panel beating business in the area.

“He was a man who knew his job and had no issues with anyone. We were all shocked to hear that he died after closing from work, alongside his entire family in the disaster,” Ter said.

“Though we have declare a day of mourning for him and the family by closing our business for the day in respect and honour for the departed family, we will all miss him because he was a good man.” .
Another eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, said the fire which started when everyone had gone to bed, razed the entire block of flats, though other occupants of the building managed to escape.
According to him, “we all sat outside after an outage in public power supply, to discuss contemporary issues that night, after which everyone retired to his house.

“It was shortly after that, as usual, that they put on their generator and went to bed only for everybody in the neighborhood to be woken up by the shouts of fire and there was so much confusion as everyone ran for dear life.

“I think the fire started at about 12 midnight in Oye’s flat when everyone in the neighbourhood, including the victims of the inferno, had gone to bed.
“It was his wife and mother of the dead children, who we popularly called Mama Tunde, who also died in the disaster that raised the alarm that prompted other neighbours to rush out of their flats.
“In the midst of the confusion, we all battled to put out the strange fire in order to rescue the family but it was all in vain. After failing, however, we all managed to escape with our families.

“While this was going on, some people tried to reach the fire service but it was too late. “Our pain about this tragic and unfortunate incident is that the same woman who died with her family in the fire was the one who raised the alarm that saved others and her family could not be saved; they were burnt beyond recognition.

“The whole thing is still a mystery to neighbors and no one can at this moment ascertain the cause of the inferno but the only clue we have is that their generator was on that night, and, by the time we went round after the fire, we saw that a lantern was positioned very close to the generating set.

“Perhaps the fire was ignited by the petrol in the generator and the flame of the lantern, but no one can really say for sure”.

The eyewitness, who said some relations of the deceased family were contacted after the incident, also ruled out the possibility of sabotage.


“I believe that what happened here could be a case of negligence, but unfortunately it turned out a fatal one; it is just painful,” he added.

Sunday Vanguard further gathered that the charred remains of the deceased were deposited at the morgue of the Gboko General Hospital though unattended to because workers in the hospital were on strike while arrangements to bury them where on.

When contacted, the acting Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of the Benue State Police Command, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Matthew Oku, said he was yet to receive the full report of the unfortunate incident from the Gboko Division of the Command.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/man-wife-5-children-roasted-midnight-mystery-fire/


pix: 1. Ter, a neighbour

2. The house where the family perished

Na wa o, this guy above me just wan collect my shine

All these bad news, God please save us

RIP TO THE DEAD


If the Government has duly performed its responsibility of providing stable power supply, perhaps this family would still be alive.....




Government negligence and personal carelessness leading to a very avoidable demise....



Once again....

RIP TO THE DEAD

again?

Nigerians and their careless risk filled lifestyle.Why would a sensible man place a lantern with naked flame close to a petrol generator.A person who brings a termite filled firewood home should not be surprised at the visit of lizard to his home.What a pity though,but its a warning to all Nigerians anyway.


Man know thyself.....Socrates!

Fire again, r.i.p to the dead.

sad. RIP

T

I dont believe dz story....

deejayterabyte:
Na wa o, this guy above me just wan collect my shine

All these bad news, God please save us

TDstarr:
x

deejayterabyte:
a

Tinubu:
Ok

kayalla:
again?

post=29300245]Booked[/quote]
[quote author=stnwani:
ok

if they had power this wouldn't have happened and during the festive season too. R.I.P to the dead

So sad a story so tragic that could have been averted. RIP to the dead..

May God continue to guide us safely through our travails now, after the New Year and beyond Amen!

.May God preserve us..pls Mods ,this is a Festive season. Stop posting this sad news on the front page,pls I beg of you ,there are other things DAT can make d FRont page.
may God grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss..

Every house in Nigeria.....a FIREPROOF, FIRE SAFE house.....

KEY ELEMENTS OF FIRE SAFETY

COMMON FIRE HAZARDS

Source: Wikipedia.

Nawaoh

First of all, must every mishap be blamed on someone else? How did PHCN cause or contribute to that inferno? what if vandals were responsible for the power outage?

Second of all, the picture of the burnt house doesn't look like a flat. It looks like a mud makeshift.

Third of all, how did the lantern grow legs to have gone to ignite the small fuel tank of the generator? Even if a rat tripped the lantern and the kerosene spilled, there's no way flame can ignite kerosene on mud or concrete floor, unless the floor was made of woods.

My take........ Someone started that fire!

Callous bastards are always using the word "roasted" to describe HUMAN BEINGS.

Nigerian journalists.

.

TDstarr:
thank God for our lives, may God continue to preserve us and keep us in Jesus name

x for xmas abi?

Wtf!

too bad harmattan season always associated with fire

kilokeys:
sad. RIP

TeGaTeGa1:
T

TeGaTeGa1:
T

stnwani:
ok

Una doh o! Nairaland

God pls have Mercy

SilentCrescendo:

pls how do u quote manypeople at once?

May The Good Lord Grants the bereaves the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss......
Join me to say a big amen by clicking LIKE button

The way You Journalist/ Reporters use words in sensitive Issues, Why use Roast(when did mankind turn to chicken) why not use better words! To the dead I say Inna Illahi wa inna ilahi Rajiun

adexsimply:
Why couldn't he preserve "the roasted" family?

he knows best

Such fire will not locate us in Jesus name o.

Sad.

Another ROASTING thread, please mods roast is only appropriate for food not human beings.