Three-month-old baby left behind by mother burnt in Makurdi fire incident

By JOHNSON BABAJIDE, Makurdi

A three-month-old baby left behind by her mother was burnt to death in a fire incident that engulfed an eight-room building in Makurdi.

The fire incident occurred on Monday at Awe Street in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.

Source from the area explained that the fire started from the inner room of the eight-room building around 10:30 am of the fateful day and spread to other rooms of the house.

The mother of the little baby, Amira Abdul was said to have dropped the baby with a neighbour while she left for her Islamic school within the neighbourhood.

According to a neighbour who gave her name as Hassanah Ayuba said, “the suddenness of the fire incidence makes people not to remember that the little baby was sleeping on the couch in the parlour of the neighbour.”

“At the time people remembered, it was already late because fire has engulfed every part of the building leaving the child burnt beyond recognition.

The mother of the child, Amira Abdul said she learned of the fire incident when she was in the school.

“When I finished bathing and dressed my baby up, my co-tenants were telling me that she was looking very beautiful and I thanked them. I then dropped her with my neighbour and left for school.

“I was still in school when somebody came to inform me that there was a fire incident in my compound. Initially, I thought it was a minor one until another woman came and told me to go home.

“By the time I got home and saw the level of damage, I started crying and asked for my baby. It was then that I was told that my baby had died in the fire,” Amina said

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, SP Catherine Anene, said she was yet to be briefed on the matter. (Nigerian Tribune)