Charred remains of structures razed by the inferno
If anybody had prophesied to Lucky Olotu, an indigene of Ekeremor in the Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State that the cold hand of death was lurking to snatch his lovely family, he probably would have dismissed the prediction as another ruse given the healthy state of his pregnant wife, Benita and three- year-old son, Paul.
Like any other day, Lucky had left home last Sunday to attend to an unfinished business with the hope of re-uniting with his expectant wife and son later in the day oblivious of the tragedy waiting to happen.
Perhaps, if he had not gone out that fateful day the calamity that befell his family would have been avoided. His dream of returning home to the warm embrace of his son and wife came crashing like a pack of cards on getting a distress call from concerned friends that his neighbourhood was on fire.
Alas, it was a scene of complete confusion when he got to the area that once hosted his apartment as other tenants and sympathisers struggled to see what they could salvage from buildings being ravaged by the raging inferno which swept through the sprawling settlement.
The ferocity of the blazing inferno was such that the agitated Lucky could not go in and like others he stood and watched helplessly hoping to locate his wife and kid in the wake of the pandemonium that enveloped the area that fateful night.
While residents and sympathisers were struggling to rescue valuables nobody was aware that that the pregnant Benita and her son were trapped in their apartment.
A source at the scene who spoke anonymously said: “We only heard that a woman was trapped inside her apartment but nobody could ascertain the identity of the victim until the next day because of the confusion”.
He added that the bereaved man never had an inkling that his family members were trapped in the inferno as he thought they might have gone out on a visit before the fire outbreak.
It was learnt that the youthful Lucky, however, became apprehensive when efforts to reach his wife on phone failed. According to a witness, they had to reassure him that perhaps her battery had gone flat and she was not aware of the fire outbreak.
However, by the time the raging inferno which also almost spread to the High Court premises was brought under control by sympathisers, no fewer than 50 buildings, mostly makeshift structures, had been reduced to rubbles with properties and cash worth several millions of naira destroyed.
Most families that were displaced by the inferno which swept through the densely populated slum could not salvage anything from their homes as they were left with just the clothes on them.
Vanguard Metro learnt that the tragic inferno which occurred in the slum between 7.30 and 8pm that fateful day came as a rude shock to many residents who are now left with nothing but start afresh to pick the pieces of their lives.
Though one of the affected victims, Gabriel who lost everything said they have had cause to complain on several occasion about the activities of a co-tenant simply identified as Tari who deals in adulterated kerosene, nobody envisaged what happened.
The inferno, according to witnesses, started from her room while she was refueling a running generator shortly after power outage in the neighbourhood without switching it off. The generator, sources told Vanguard Metro exploded and ignited the inferno which razed down the every structure on its path.
The lady, instead of raising alarm to draw the attention of other neighbours, reportedly rescued her son and fled the room.
In spite of the spirited efforts of residents and sympathisers to contain the inferno there was little they could do as the entire area was gutted by the raging fire which illuminated the dark night.
Building material stores, supermarkets and other big retail outlets in front of the sprawling shanties were not spared as they were completely razed down.
Men of the State Fire Service, who raced to the scene on getting the distress call of concerned residents, could not contain the inferno as their truck had no water, a development that angered the army of sympathisers who jeered at them.
They were, however, saved from being manhandled by men of the state security outfit “Operation Famou Tangbe” who were on hand to provide security in the wake of the pandemonium that enveloped the neighbourhood.
When Vanguard Metro visited the scene Sunday night the affected victims were seen crying and sobbing with people wandering around in total confusion. A young man tried to brave the fire by venturing into one of the stores in the front row but quickly stepped back. The intensity of the flames meant he stood no chance.
It was like a nightmare. There was nothing they could do as the resulting smoke was quite choking as it rapidly spread over the area.
The next day (Monday) also turned out to be a traumatic one for several families when they came out to search through the debris and rubbles of what once served as their homes.
It was also a sad moment for Lucky Olotu whose pregnant wife and kid were missing the previous night as their charred remains were discovered and evacuated by security men from the debris where his home once stood.
The bereaved Olotu, clad in faded yellow T-shit and jean trousers, his only possession having lost everything to the inferno, was brokenhearted as he sat glued on the floor staring into space, weeping.
“God, where do I start from,” he sobbed clutching his head as he was being led away by some friends before the remains of his wife and son were eventually evacuated.
Though it could not be confirmed, two other unidentified victims were said to have died in an undisclosed hospital from smoke inhaled and injuries sustained.
The deceased pregnant woman and her son were reportedly sleeping in their room ostensibly due to tiredness as she was said to have just returned from Delta State where she had gone to bury her mother.
It was the contention of many that they might have been trapped inside their apartment by smoke due to the congested nature of the sprawling slum.
A lady who gave her name as Charity John, clad in a wrapper, who lost the sum of N280,000 she allegedly withdrew weekend from the bank for business transaction also lamented that all she could retrieve from her apartment was her handset, while another victim, Corporal Arikpo Efut said: “I lost all my properties and certificates to the inferno”.
Governor Timipre Sylva who visited the scene of the incident expressed sadness over the development.
Accompanied by the Deputy Governor, Werinipre Seibarugu, he said: “Our heart goes to the families; as a government, we will do whatever is necessary to help them. I have asked for a list of all the families affected so we can give them some assistance”.
The Governor said the land would be acquired so that there would be no further slum development in the area.
Chief Sylva said the government would acquire the plots of land for construction of modern structures even as he blamed the magnitude of destruction on the violation of planning rules on the part of the landlords making it difficult for fire fighters to access the area.
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