Two siblings, ages three and five, lost their lives in a fire that destroyed their Akure, Ondo State, residence.
The incident took place in Akure's Oluwatuyi neighborhood on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
Witnesses claim that after their mother, Mrs. Deborah Oluwaranakinse, left the house to get food, she locked the children, Jenson and Jelad Oluwaranakinse indoors.
The fire broke out in her absence, reducing the apartment to ashes and claiming the lives of the two boys.
"When the fire started, the neighbours around made efforts to put it out and rescue the kids, but their efforts were unsuccessful,” an eyewitness recounted.
“People called the state fire service, but by the time they arrived, things had gone out of hand. The kids had d;;;ied."
The fire persisted in spite of the neighbors' desperate attempts to put out the flames and save the kids.
The charred remains of the children were later evacuated and deposited at the morgue of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital in Akure.
Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, the State Police Command spokesperson, confirmed the incident on Thursday and stated that investigations were being conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The two boys who remained in the room were suffocated and suffocated. One is Jelad Oluwaranakinse, aged five, and the second is Jenson Oluwaranakinse, aged three,” the PPRO stated.
“Their mother, one Mrs Deborah Oluwaranakinse, locked the two children inside their room and went out to search for food. An investigation has commenced.”
