BY ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Two children, Ummu Salma Bashir (5) and Zainab Bashir Muhammad (Hibba) (7), have been killed in a fire incident that gutted their house located at Madina Quarters of Bauchi metropolis in Bauchi State.
The loss of the minors in the incident that occurred on Sunday at about 11.00am, threw the entire community into mourning.
An eyewitness said that the incident occurred at a house closed to Barden Gabas Primary School adjacent to Tirwun Quarters in the Bauchi metropolis.
According to him, the mother of the two children locked them in the house and went to the market to buy somethings when the house went up in flames.
“When we notice the fire, myself and some neighbours rushed to the house, but our efforts to forcefully open the gate into the house proved abortive,” he said.
The eyewitness added that they tried their best and managed to break the gate open with the use of some carpentry tools and gained access into the house, “but as soon as we did that, the fire overpowered us and it increased in the room where the the two children were.”
A resident of the area, Usman Abdullahi (Dan Usmanu) described the incident as one destined by God to happen.
“This thing is already destined by God, but it was not the habit of the mother to pick-up their children and go on errants. Most of the time whenever she is going out, she used to drop the children in my house, because my house is close to theirs.
“Her husband, Bashir Muhammad, wasn’t at home when the incident occurred. Up to this time I am taking to you, we don’t know the actual cause of the incident,” he said.
According to him, residents of the area did their best to put off the fire but it was a bit late and it was overwhelming.
“After the fire was finally put out, they had died and their bodies were brought out and buried according to Islamic rites”, another source said.
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