Inferno renders newspaper distributor homeless in Bauchi

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Valuables belonging to a popular newspaper distributor in Bauchi state, Alhaji Maikudi Ahmed have been consumed by night inferno at Tudun Salmanu quarters, Fadaman Mada area of the state capital. The fire disaster which occurred last Sunday midnight according to Maikudi, burnt the entire nine rooms in the house including clothing and other valuables. Narrating his ordeals to journalists at his residence on Monday, the victim explained that, “the incident occurred last Sunday around 12 midnight as a result of electric fault”. “Myself and my family members were asleep when the fire outbreak started and my attention was drawn to it by my youngest daughter who came out of her room to ease herself”. Maikudi said. Adding that, “when she came out, she discovered that there was fire at my car garage. She screamed and we all came out to see what was happening. We realized that it was an inferno, I went back quickly to my room and picked my phone with which I informed fire service personnel”. “I also went to the garage to remove my car but immediately I drove out with the car, the inferno has already taken over the entire house and it burnt everything including our nine rooms, cloth, books and other valuables”. He recalled. The newspaper distributor said his two wives and children are currently taking refuge at neighbours’ houses and he squats somewhere outside the area to sleep at night. He appealed to the state government to come to their aid revealing that he and his family have to get cloth from neighbours as nothing was evacuated from the residence during the inferno. “Before the arrival of fire service personnel and neighbours to stop the fire, everything was already burnt to ashes. So far, I reported the incident to director of Press government house Bauchi”. He noted Our Correspondent gathered that Maikudi is one of the major distributors of newspapers and magazines in the state and has been in the business for over 20 years now.