A tragedy occurred in the Okochiri community, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Friday morning, after a mother and her four children were burnt to death in a fire at their residence.
Although officials have not officially determined the cause of the inferno, a source who spoke in confidence suggested it originated from petrol stored in a jerrycan.
The Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, confirmed the incident but said details were still sketchy.
Godswill said that when he rushed to the scene with his team, it was too late to rescue the woman and her four children.
He stated, ‘We just heard the news this morning about the fire. There are no proper details as to what happened. But when we got there this morning, we saw that about four children and their mother, a total of five persons, were burnt and died.
‘The police had already arrived and taken proper details of what happened. It is so disheartening that this is happening again in our community.’
Godswill said youths in the community later put out the fire and called for an investigation into the cause.
He said, ‘When we got there this morning, the fire had been put out, and the police had already come to the scene. I believe proper investigation will be carried out’.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) ASP Blessing Agabe promised to seek information about the incident.