Single Parent, ‘Prostitute’ Lost Child To Fire Ooutreak In Abeokuta
Omooba Risawe
A suspected prostitute has lost her child into fire outbreak, with another one on danger list in hospital,due to her negligence.
The single parent was reported to have left the home located in Japo community area of Abeokuta on Friday night for sex hawking, leaving behind the children at home.
An eyewitness said,,after lighting a candle in the sitting room in the mini flat,as there was no electricity supply,the woman went out for the red light business in the town.
Ironically, at about 1.00am, the candle light was said to attract the television set, which started burning while the innocent kids, ages 9 and 3 were fast asleep.
In an interview with our correspondent, Joy Uwalaka, a neighbour confirmed that, the woman known as a single parent had left home leaving the two children behind,to return the following day, when the calamity occurred.
She disclosed that,the mother of two keeping late night,and returning following day was not news to the neighnourhood, but lamented that leaving the innocent kids behind was disturbing to other tenants.
The female tenant stressed that, the bereaved always locked the children up each time she goes out overnight,just as he confirmed that the smoke which engulfed the mini flat apartment killed one of the child.
Uwalaka said rescued team found lifeless body of the elder child the following morning inside the apartment following huge smoke, while other survivor as at the time of this report had been rushed to the hospital in the town.
Another tenant, Adesewa Odubanwo posited that the negligence of the woman led to the unfortunate incident,stressing that the lady was a known ‘night crawler’ who attimes leaves her children in the house and return following morning.
She gave identities of the victims as Bolu(9) and David(3),recalling that, when the incident occurred, the neighbours heard the cry of the children,but thought it was their mother who was beaten them.
Speaking further,Odubanwo,a mascommunication undergraduate said knowing the bully character of the mother against the children, other tenants ignored the cry of the children, until when smoke started emanating from the apartment which forced them out to rescued the victims.
Another a male tenant,Sherif Oyeniran in an interview corroborated other tenants explanation, that the woman called Iya Bolu was in the habit of going out at will and locked up her children, to return following morning.
He said, when the cry of the children persisted, coupled with smoke coming from the apartment, the back windows were broken and iron bar forcefully removed to gain access into the apartment.
Oyeniran said, ironically on gaining access into the apartment, the elder of the victims, Bolu(9) was found lifeless, while her junior brother,David(3) miraculously escaped the suffocation, but was immediately rushed to the hospital.
He added further that, the police later came to the scene and took away the remains of the 9 year old female victim to the morgue.
A visit by our correspondent to the scene,showed that the bereaved mother was said to still be in hiding, to avoid possible attack by aggrieved neighbours,who were seen fuming over her negligence which led to the sad incident.
In a related development, about four of the colleagues of the bereaved,all with bleached skin stormed the apartment, crying over the unfortunate incident, and claiming that, they were yet to reach her(Mama Bolu), who they refered to as Temmy on phone, to know her whereabout.
Meanwhile, an inside assesment of the affected apartment by our correspondent showed burnt personal effects,with the entire wall covered with smoke.Also number of condoms were also sighted in the apartment.
