Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Five children have been killed when their home caught fire at Abagbo village, Takwa Bay Island, Lagos, the police said on Sunday.
The children, Folake Ogundiya, 13, and her eight-year-old sibling, Abigail; six-year-old Daniel Bakare, Chidima Achomye, two-year-old Nnamdi Achomye and one-year-old Khadijat were said to have been burnt beyond recognition during the incident, which occurred last Tuesday.
A statement by police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the children were locked inside the house by one Suliat, in whose care a mother, Florence Asoye, left them.
Elkana said Asoye reported the incident around 10:30am on Wednesday, adding that Suliat was nowhere to be found.
“The woman said she left the children in care of Suliat around 6:30pm so that she could go to Takwa Bay Jetty.
“She said by the time she returned, her home had been burnt down, adding that Suliat locked the children in the room and left to unknown destination. The case is under investigation,” he said.
Elkana said the command was also investigating the death of a female lodger at Southbound Hotel, Morogbo.
The woman, identified as Jessica, was found dead at the hotel around 2pm on Friday with marks suggestive of strangulation and visible bloodstains.
Elkana said the police received information about a dead lodger and homicide detectives visited the scene and evacuated the body.
“Homicide detectives visited the scene. The body was found on the bed facing up, with a swollen face and foam-like fluid coming out of her mouth. Her throat was knotted with clothes, suggesting that she might have been strangled.
“There were bloodstains all over the place. The body was taken to mortuary for autopsy, while the scene was preserved for forensic analysis.
“Commissioner Zubairu Muazu has ordered the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba to take over the investigation,” he said.
Culled from The Nation.