Two-year-old boy killed as overnight fire razes Fulani settlement

Overnight fire on Sunday morning razed down Fulani settlement at Jingbe, Ajaokuta Local Government Kogi State.

The fire outbreak left one person dead while three others sustained serious injuries.

It was gathered in Lokoja on Sunday that the settlement made up of 87 thatch houses which provide shelter for over 300 Fulani men, women and their children were gutted by fire at about 2 am while the occupants were fast asleep.

The fire was suspected to have been ignited by game hunters who are yet to be identified.

Briefing newsmen on the development, the acting chairman of the state branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria ( MCBAN), Ardo Bello Garatu, said that the incident happened in the early hours of February 8.

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Garatu who spoke through Mr Adamu Abubakar, the state acting assistant secretary of the association said that a two-year-old male child died in the incident while three women sustained various degree of injuries.

He said that the victims, apart from being rendered homeless, lost cash and personal effects worth millions of naira.

Garatu said that the victims, including children, are now being forced to live in the open.

He called for urgent intervention from the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

The association also appealed to the Federal Government to direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately come to the aid of the victims to prevent further loss of life.