Customs officer, wife, children, deceased in fire incident in Osun

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Tragedy struck early this morning when a fire claimed the lives of seven people, including a customs officer, Mr. Tijani Kabiru, his wife, and four of their children.

The incident occurred at the Kabiru residence on Customs Tijani Kabiru Road in the Akankan area of Ede North Local Government, Osun State.

The fire destroyed the building, leaving only one survivor— a 13-year-old son of the deceased. Mr. Tijani Kabiru was employed with the Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.

The Director of the Osun State Fire Service, Engr. Olaniyi Ismaila Alimi, confirmed the incident in a statement released by the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Adekunle Ibraheem.

According to Alimi, a distress call was received at 3:21 a.m., and a team from the Ede Zonal Command was promptly dispatched to the scene, with a backup team from the Fire Service Headquarters in Abere joining the efforts.

Alimi stated, “Mr. Tijani Kabiru, reported to be in his late 40s, and his wife, in her early 40s, perished in the inferno, which is suspected to have started an hour before the fire service was alerted.”

He added that the victims also included four children (three boys and a girl), aged between 10 and 3 years.

The bodies of the deceased have been handed over to the A’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.