Two young siblings, Jelad Oluwaranakinse, aged five, and his brother, Jenson, aged three, were burnt to death in a fire that engulfed their apartment in the Oluwatuyi area of Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday.
According to eyewitnesses, the children were allegedly locked inside their home by their mother, Mrs Deborah Oluwaranakinse, who had stepped out to buy food.
Tragically, the fire broke out in her absence, reducing the apartment to ashes and claiming the lives of the two boys.
“When the fire started, the neighbours around made efforts to put it out and rescue the kids, but their efforts were unsuccessful,” an eyewitness recounted.
“People called the state fire service, but by the time they arrived, things had gone out of hand. The kids had died.”
Another witness said the fire erupted suddenly, with no clear cause identified at the time of reporting.
Despite desperate attempts by neighbours to extinguish the flames and save the children, the inferno proved relentless.
The charred remains of the children were later evacuated and deposited at the morgue of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital in Akure.
Confirming the tragic incident on Thursday, Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, said investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire.
“The two male children left in the room were choked and burnt. One is Jelad Oluwaranakinse, aged five, and the second is Jenson Oluwaranakinse, aged three.
“Their mother, one Mrs Deborah Oluwaranakinse, locked the two children inside their room and went out to search for food. An investigation has commenced,” the PPRO stated.
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