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Bauchi inferno claims
lives, property
From SULE ALIYU, Bauchi
THE rate of fire disaster appears to be on the increase in Bauchi metropolis
within the last two weeks as several lives were lost while property worth
millions of Naira were lost to various inferno.
Malam Umar Ismail, 45 and seven other members of his family perished in a
fire in Dutsen Tanshi, Bauchi metropolis with only a surviving child, Master
Abdulrahaman Umar.
Governor Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, in a swift reaction donated N3 million to
hospitalise the wife of the deceased, the surviving child and the elder
brother of the late Malam Umar.
According to Usman Maina Gwadabe, a senior brother to late Umar, the N3
million was for Hauwa, the wife of the late Umar before she died three days
after the inferno, the only remaining child, Master Abdulrahman Umar who has
since been discharged from Bauchi Specialist Hospital the elder brother of
the deceased, brother Malam Muhammad Ismail.
Gwadabe said the governor gave the money with an instruction that N1 million
each be kept in a fixed account for the late wife and the child while the
remaining N1 million be used by Malam Isma`il who is going to take care of
the child since he is jobless and to avoid tempering with the N2 million
meant for the survivors while N50,000 was released for the purchase of
drugs.
Further donation to the victims was N20,000 from the chairman, Bauchi local
government council, Alhaji Aliyu Aminu Garu who also provided some required
drugs to treat the victims and promised to continue assisting until they are
discharged from the hospital.
Gwadabe, a close relative of the family who is the coordinator of the
federal ministry of commerce in Bauchi state, told Sunday Triumph that the
seven people killed in the fire were Umar Ismail, his wife, Hauwa 36, his
eldest son, Attahir Umar, 12, Surajo Umar, 10, Zainab Umar, 4, Al-Ameen
Umar, 2 , his last born, Faruk Umar, 12 months old and his aged mother
popularly known as Goggo Fulo, 62.
The cause of the fire could not be confirmed by the police, but it was
suspected that the fire was cause by faulty electric cable.
In a related development, only recently, the Makama Jahun quarters of the
metropolis, the residence of Bauchi local government council chairman,
Alhaji Aliyu Aminu Garu was razed by fire, suspected to have been started by
aggrieved political opponents.
Though the authentic source of the fire could not be confirmed by the police
and no life was lost, however, property worth millions of Naira perished in
the inferno with the chairman’s wives left with only the clothes they were
wearing.
Speaking to Sunday Triumph correspondent who visited the scene of the
incident, a relation of the council chairman who pleaded for anonymity,
revealed that there were several attempts earlier to burn down the house
until last Wednesday when the arsonists succeded, thereby rendering them
homeless.
In a related development, the residence of one Yakubu Usman Wowo, a staunch
supporter of the gubernatorial hopeful, Malam Isa Yuguda was partially burnt
down allegedly on the directives of one Alhaji Auwalu Muhammad who was at
one-time in the federal House of Representatives.
According to him, when the fire started, he mobilised neighbours who
arrested one of the arsonists that confessed that they were hired by the
suspect to burn down the house.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi state police command has arrested the suspects and
detained them.
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 2006