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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Tragedy struck Okochiri community in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, in the early hours of Friday, when a mother and her four children were burnt to death in a fire that engulfed their house.
It was learnt that the fire was put out through the efforts of community youths.
Although sources claimed that the fire was caused by petrol, following a spark, the actual cause had not been independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
Confirming the incident to journalists, the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika, Igwe Godswill, said the details of the incident were still sketchy.
He said: “We just heard the news this morning about the fire. There are no proper details as to what happened. But, when we got there this morning, we saw that about four children and their mother, a total of five persons, were burnt and dead.
“But, the police had already arrived and taken proper details of what happened. It is so disheartening that this is happening again in our community.
“When we got there this morning, the fire had been put out and the police had already come to the scene. I believe proper investigation will be carried out.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Rivers State Police Command was yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
