It was a sad day in the riverine Biagbini community of Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday morning as a 70-year-old woman, Mrs Moyo Jide, and her four grandchildren were reportedly killed in a fire incident.
Three persons were also on Saturday killed in an accident involving a truck and a motorcycle at the Onibukun area of Sango-Idiroko in the Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
In the Ondo fire accident, the names of the deceased grandchildren were given as Jennifer, three; Gbana, seven; Biddaddy, five and Wisdom, nine.
Two of the grandchildren had reportedly been living with the grandmother after the death of their father few years ago.
The cause of the inferno was yet uncertain but an eyewitness said the fire incident might have started from the kitchen of the deceased. He said apart from the death, many properties in the house were razed down by the fire.
A resident of the community, who craved anonymity said the fire started at about 12am on Saturday when the deceased were asleep.
He said, “Everybody in the community was awake in the middle of the night when the fire started but there was nothing we could do to rescue the victims. Everything in the house was destroyed.
“We are yet to know the cause of the fire but we suspect it could be cooking fire that was not properly put out in the kitchen that caused the inferno because we use firewood here and there is no electricity in the community.”
He added that the matter was immediately reported at the Arogbo Police Division while the corpses of the deceased had been deposited at a hospital.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident and said investigation had begun.
“We are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire incident but we have commenced our investigation into it, “ the police spokesman stated.
The Ogun road crash was confirmed by the spokesman for Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi.
He explained that the accident involved a truck with registration number Lagos EKY 644 WH and a motorcycle with registration number FFF 398WH .
According to Akinbiyi, the accident was caused by wrongful overtaking by the motorcycle rider.
He said five persons were involved but three were killed in the accident.
Akinbiyi said the three victims were the two passengers on the motorcycle and the motorcycle rider.
He said the corpses of the victims had been taken to the General Hospital, Ota.
While explaining the cause of the accident, Akinbiyi said he learnt the truck and the motorcycle were coming from Idiroko to Sango-Ota.
He said, “In an attempt by the motorcycle rider who was carrying two passengers to overtake the truck from the left through a narrow space, the truck crushed them and all of them died on the spot.
“The accidented truck and motorcycle, as well as the driver of the truck and motor boy have been taken to Onipanu Police Station, Ota.
“Two of the presumed dead have been collected by their relatives while the remaining dead body has been deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital, Ota.”