The Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Mikhail Abdullahi, his wife and two children have died in a fire outbreak.
According to the police, the fire occurred around 4:00am on Friday.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, told journalists that the victims died as a result of suffocation after inhaling smoke emitted from the hose of a split air conditioner at the Master’s Bedroom.
The fire was said to have occurred as a result of a spark in the family’s generator.
While giving a graphic account of the incident, Idris said, “Today (Friday) at about 4:30 am., the policemen on duty at the official residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano State, Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi, located on No. 2 Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road, Nassarawa GRA, Kano, observed a fire emanating from a split air conditioner in the sitting room.
“They made several attempts to contact the late REC, as well as repeatedly banging on the slide glass to no avail. As a last resort, the police smashed some of the toilet windows still without response. Thereafter, some policemen and local guards broke the door leading to the sitting room and discovered that the sitting room has already been engulfed by fire and smoke.
“They then went to the side of the door leading to the master’s bedroom, broke the door and entered; the REC and his family were not found inside the bedroom and the police then went to the bathroom, attached to the master bedroom and found the REC, his wife and his two daughters unconscious on the floor, with the late REC cuddling one of the daughters.
“They quickly rushed them to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, where the doctor confirmed them dead. The doctor said the family died from inhalation of hot and black smoke.
“Meanwhile, detectives have sealed off the scene and have commenced investigation with the fire service men to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.” (Punch).