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| Alhaji Abdullahi Minkaila. |
It was previously reported that the incident had occurred on Thursday, April 2, as the house of the official was engulfed by fire.
However, Ibrahim Idris, the state commissioner of police, has revealed that the fire started around 4am on Friday adding that the victims died from inhaling smoke.
Below is the police report, as provided by Punch:
“Today (Friday) at about 4.30am., the policemen on duty at the official residence of the resident electoral commissioner in Kano state, Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi, located on No. 2 Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road, Nassarawa GRA, Kano, observed a fire emanating from a split air conditioner in the sitting room.
“They made several attempts to contact the late REC, as well as repeatedly banging on the slide glass to no avail. As a last resort, the police smashed some of the toilet windows still without response. Thereafter, some policemen and local guards broke the door leading to the sitting room and discovered that the sitting room has already been engulfed by fire and smoke.
“They then went to the side of the door leading to the master’s bedroom, broke the door and entered; the REC and his family were not found inside the bedroom and the police then went to the bathroom, attached to the master bedroom and found the REC, his wife and his two daughters unconscious on the floor, with the late REC cuddling one of the daughters.
“They quickly rushed them to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, where the doctor confirmed them dead. The doctor said the family died from inhalation of hot and black smoke.
“Meanwhile, detectives have sealed off the scene and have commenced investigation with the fire service men to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.”
Speaking about the incident, some neighbours, who asked for anonymity, said that the inferno was strange, suggesting that the police should not treat the fire as an ordinary one.