A phone technician has lost his two wives and two children in a fire outbreak at Rugar Audu Badali Fulani community in Karasuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.
The incident occurred at about 5:30 pm on Friday while the four victims were in one of the rooms in the family compound, according to the family.
The victims were identified as 28-year-old Bilkisu Bukar, the man’s senior wife; his 22-year-old junior wife, Salma; and Bilkisu’s two daughters, eight-month-old Zainab Bukar and three-year-old Hafsat.
The husband, Mallam Bukar, told Daily Trust that he left home after saying goodbye to his two wives to attend the Friday prayer in Jajimaji, headquarters of Karasuwa LGA, before proceeding to his phone-repair business.
He said he was at his business premises after the prayer when he received a telephone call informing him that his house had been gutted by fire.
‘I left home after saying goodbye to my two wives, the senior wife and the junior wife, intending to go to the mosque for the Friday prayer and then proceed to my place of business,’ he said.
Bukar said he hired a motorcycle and returned home, arriving after 6pm, only to find that the entire house had been burnt.
He said there was nothing left to salvage.
‘The people who called me on the phone said they believed the incident happened between 5pm and 6pm. By the time I arrived home, it was after 6pm, and I found that the fire had already consumed everything,’ he said.
Bukar said he did not know how the fire started and would not accuse anyone without evidence.
‘If I say I suspect someone, I would be falsely accusing that person,’ he said.
He said the two wives had separate rooms but were together in Bilkisu’s room with the children when the incident occurred.
According to him, the two women lived peacefully together and had never had any disagreement.
Bukar said Salma had suffered several miscarriages and had no child with him, while Bilkisu was the mother of Zainab and Hafsat.
He said only three members of the family survived the incident – himself, his son, Adamu, and daughter, Aishatu.
Adamu, who is Bilkisu’s son, said he had said goodbye to his mother before leaving for Friday prayers in Jajimaji.
He said his mother prepared food for him before he left, adding that he decided to remain in town and return home later in the evening.
‘When I returned home, I found that the house had been completely burnt down. My mother, her co-wife and my younger siblings had all died. Now, I have no one left except my younger sister and our father,’ he said.
The fire destroyed two thatched rooms, a mud-built bathroom, two poultry birds and other household belongings, according to the family.
Bukar said the family had been left homeless following the incident and would move to a nearby settlement until after the rainy season.
Daily Trust gathered that the four victims were buried at Rugar Audu Badali cemetery according to Islamic rites.
A volunteer staff member of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), Mr Hassan Rilwanu, who visited the scene, described the incident as shocking.
Rilwanu said it was difficult to understand how the fire occurred around 5:30 pm when people were present in the settlement.
He said the victims were in a thatched room and questioned why they were unable to escape.
‘It is surprising that four people could be completely burnt to ashes, yet no one heard them screaming for help,’ he said.
Rilwanu said there were several unanswered questions about the incident.
Bukar said neighbours who informed him about the fire told him they did not hear cries for help from the victims or see anyone enter the house.
He said he had no disagreement with anyone and was not accusing anyone of involvement in the incident.
The Director of Search and Rescue Operations of YOSEMA, Dr Muhammad Ibrahim Jalo, had earlier said the agency led a joint assessment and condolence visit to the community following the incident.
Jalo said the assessment team, comprising officials of YOSEMA, representatives of the Karasuwa Local Government Authority and community stakeholders, visited the scene to document the extent of the destruction and assess the immediate needs of the survivors.
He said the assessment identified the need for emergency relief materials, temporary shelter and psychosocial support for those displaced by the fire.