Tragedy struck in Benue State yesterday as the acting Permanent Secretary of the State’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Sekegh Akaa, his pregnant wife and two children died in a fire that engulfed their Kwararafa Quarter home in Makurdi, The Punch reports.
The fire which began around 2.45am razed the entire house and extended to three other houses including that of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Religion, Daniel Unongo.
An eye witness told the paper: “Initially, when I heard of the cry of the woman in it took me sometime to muster courage to go out because I thought robbers had attacked the house.
“When I came out and saw a thick smoke from the same house, I shouted and this drew attention of other neighbours to what was going on.
“Immediately, one of the neighbours made a phone call to the fire service and within a short time they rushed to the scene.”
The Deputy Governor Benson Abounu, who visited the scene, was shocked at the incident, describing it as a monumental disaster.
He said the state had lost a prized asset in Akaa and prayed God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss. “We cannot undo what has happened. At the moment, the government will take responsibility for their burial and also assist the other families who lost property to relocate,” he said.
In a release by Terver Akase, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, he said the state’s helmsman was saddened by Akaa’s death. He consoled the deceased’s friends and relations.