Gombe’s Stream of Tears

Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State

Tears have continued unabated for a family of three who were burnt to death last week in a fire incident at Federal Low Cost Housing Estate in Gombe metropolis, Gombe State
By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Gombe
Even with one week behind, residents of the Federal Low Cost Housing Estate in Gombe, Gombe State still sound stupefied, obviously yet to get over the shock. Of course, no one expected such a gargantuan havoc that claimed lives and properties worth millions of Naira just nine days after a triumphant cross-over into year 2010. There, in the compound where the incident occurred, the Radaksons, who are survivors of a “mysterious” inferno that engulfed and razed down a whole bungalow of two flats, now have only a canopy over their heads and multiple of plastic chairs that perhaps serve as seats for sympathisers and visitors alike. Silence still envelopes the atmosphere around the area as the sympathisers come and go. Such was the situation when The Source visited.
Though the naked roof of the burnt building is still exposed and could be noticed right from a distance upon entrance to the street, sympathisers who flooded the compound could but after exchange of pleasantries with the Radaksons, be jolted to move round the building which now remains a shadow of its old self, intermittently shrugging their shoulders in disbelief.
Until Sunday, January 10, the building provided adequate shelter for Mrs. Fati Radakson, her children and a tenant who occupied the adjoining flat of the building. But lo and behold, debris is what remained of it now as every item therein was reduced to ashes and charcoal.
Not only that no single pin was evacuated from the building, a family of three was trapped and burnt to ashes in the inferno. This indeed was a grave source of worry, concern and ceaseless tears from everyone.
Though no one could tell precisely how the fire started –as those who would have attempted the story died in the inferno – The Source, however, gathered that the fire began at about 9:50 pm that Sunday when the occupants had apparently gone to bed.
According to Mrs. Radaksons younger son, Joel, a student of Abubakar Tafawa Belewa University (ABTU), Buachi who was still very distraught to speak about the tragedy, prior to the ill-development, the pubic power source was  for some moments a bit epileptic that fateful day. And when it appeared somewhat stable, he decided to treat himself to a late midnight movie, but the light was to go off in a jiffy. It was the power outage that made him to know that fire had been ignited at the adjoining apartment where their tenant, Olufemi and his family lived. Pronto, he raised a yell, alerting his mother who also later told The Source that she was yet to catch sleep after administering medicines on her nonagenarian mother and saying her prayers in her inner room. Swiftly, they helped the old woman and darted out, only to meet a cloud of thick black smoke spirally convolating with rays of fire everywhere around Femis apartment: sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and toilets. While the fire was menacingly threatening a conflagration on the entire building, every concern and attention was directed at the Olufemis, who appeared to have dozed off and therefore completely oblivious of the looming danger, as shouts of help rented the air.
That, perhaps, attracted the attention of Sunday Jika, their neighbour and a young man of about 22 who later told The Source that he quickly abandoned his food and drugs he was about taking and jumped over a half wall demarcating the houses to the scene of the incident to help. While Joel went about hitting the window’s burglary proof, the direction where Olufemi’s cry-for-help voice was audibly heard, Sunday mustered courage and broke the access door to the sitting room. Good enough, Joel from the other side of the house could see and touch the hands of Olufemi through the window as he kept shouting, “Joel, please, help me”.
From that standpoint, Joel could also hear Olufemi’s wife Nike, crying profusely while their little son of about five years, Martins could only repeatedly shout, “Jesus, Jesus”. At this juncture, Joel felt jolted and devastated and resorted to anything strong enough to hit the window protector. But all proved abortive.
However, hopes came alive when suddenly, Sunday defied the heavy fumes and finally gained entry into the sitting room through the single main entrance, apparently following their voices. But the thick black smoke surged on, blocking his view as he saw virtually nothing. Though Olufemi and his family had understandably advanced right inside to the bedroom, Sunday was still determined to follow as he immediately got struck by an idea of a torchlight. But seconds after he left the parlor to scout for anything, like torchlight, that could help him see through, he slumped, leaving only Joel to fight and save the Olufemis. He remained unconscious, only to come to the realities of life three days later on the hospital bed of the Federal Medical Centre, Gombe. Though discharged after three days, he still nurses some minor injuries and complains of chest pains and so was asked by his doctors to come back to the hospital after one week.
While, The Source could not get to FMC, those who spoke said his sudden collapse might not be unconnected with the thick smoke he apparently inhaled while on the rescue mission, playing the good Samaritan.
Meanwhile, while Joel tried almost helplessly and hopelessly, even attempted to break the wall with pestle, he was later to let go when the fire assumed a difficult dimension, such that could only be controlled by professional fire fighters. Unfortunately, the Gombe State Fire Service which was reported to have made it to the place pretty early, could not, however, shoot out even a litre of water from their tank for an alleged fear of having their vehicle consumed by the fire owing to lack of sufficient space to position both their vehicle and men very well.
Indeed, shouts of agony, wails of devastation and outpouring of traumatised emotions reached the high heavens when the charred and mangled bodies of Olufemi, his wife, Nike and their little boy, Martins were brought out. Hearts were further poured out for the deceased when it was learnt the Nike died alongside a three-months-old pregnancy.
The Landlady, Mrs. Fati James Radakson, an indigene of Biliri Local Government Area of the State is a retiree from the State Ministry of Education. She was also a one- time Transitional Committee Chairman of the defunct Bore Local government in the state between 2002 and 2003. Though still distraught as at the time of filing this report, she however told The Source that she lost virtually everything she had laboured for in life to the fire, including the house that took her years to build. But then, the fridges, deep freezers, sowing machines, furniture, international passport, banks papers, vital documents – her children’s inclusive – amongst other things would not make any impact the souls of the Olufemis would have made to the mother of four if given a modicum of luck to save them.
According to her, she had known Olufemi over one year via Christian activities before he moved to occupy the vacant apartment in her house in March, 2009. Since then, cordiality had defined the relationship between landlady and tenant.
The Source learnt that a similar incident also occurred sometime ago at the Government Reservation Area (GRA) of Gombe metropolis, in which a husband with his wife died out of impeded access to emergency exit at the outbreak of fire suspected to have emanated from electrical appliances in the house. The couple were said to have struggled to the entrance of the house but were barred by the burglary proof. While the proofs are installed as guards against theft and similar exigencies, opinions seemed divided amongst the people in the wake of those fire tragedies about how artificial protections impede safety in times of emergencies.
Also, according to some people, while the latest carnage involving the Olufemis cannot be readily hinged on a careless plugging of such appliances like water heater or pressing Iron -as there were no traces of such - caution however went to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) from those that spoke to The Source to be mindful of switch-on and off attitude as was the case that fateful Sunday night.
Until his death, Olufemi Samuel Balogun, 43, who hailed from Ikoyi, Kogi State was the Headmaster of Evangel Primary School, Gombe and a devout Christian. The Source learnt he would have concluded his Sandwich Degree Programme in University of Jos , Plateau State save for the long-drawn Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike last year. His wife, Adenike, 32, also a teacher with the same school, hailed from Oyo State . Olufemi married Nike sometime last year after the demise of his first wife in child-birth complications after about one year of marriage. Martins, five was the sole product of Femi’s first marriage, The Source learnt.
Though buried in a cemetery in Gombe on Tuesday, January 12, those who spoke to The Source said it was a stream of tears for the deceased at the burial ceremony.