So sad!
Parish Pastor John Kayode of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Otumara, Warri in Delta State has lost his wife and four kids to a midnight fire which destroyed the mission house at Emiko Close, Angle park, part of the main church building and property worth millions of naira.
According to reports, the fire victims were 'burnt beyond recognition'.
A neighbor, Bright December, who narrated the tragedy to journalists, said all rescue efforts of those who came early enough were fruitless because of the iron protectors on their door.
Read his narration below:
"Last night at about 11pm, some men were going around, it was like they noticed there was light problem, they were like trying to trace where the fault could have come from. On the long run, they came like three times and since they couldn't get where the fault was coming from, they left. At about midnight to 12:30am, I heard the woman screaming for help, so we came out.
"When I got there, I saw the last daughter of the pastor, standing very close to the louvres, banging on them. There was no way I could help, I saw one rubber out there with which I started scooping water to put out the fire. Later on I saw the woman (pastor's wife), struggling with the door, like a middle wooden door, she was shouting for help while she was trying to open it.
The three other children could not be seen struggling at all, it was like they had been choked with the smoke in the house because where they slept was where we found them.
"It took like one hour before one man called fire fighters because it was midnight and we were all shouting and trying to see how to rescue them. It took another one hour before the fire fighters came. By this time, the woman had died, even the little girl. The little girl was found dead close to the window because she was just there banging, but there was no way we could help.
"The windows and the doors were all guarded with protectors, it was difficult to go through, if not we would have broken through to rescue them. It took about another fifteen minutes after I came out before we couldn't hear their voices again", December narrated.
Mrs Margeret Ichibo, a church member, also said "I left the Church after prayers with her (Kayoda) on Wednesday. That was in the day. I rushed back few minutes to 1a.m., and fire fighters were just labouring to break in, but it was too late.
"National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, personnel tried to evacuate the bodies, but we advised that police be informed first.
"By the time police came, NEMA had switched off their phones. It took the courage of youths in the neighbourhood and some of the fire service to bring out the bodies between 5 and 6a.m.
"The bodies have been deposited at the Warri Central Hospital Mortuary."
TITLE>>>>>>FORBIDDEN
CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY
.... The Forbidden Fruits After that day, the boys never went to the orange tree again and the story that it was a forbidden fruit was retold and everyone believed it, even the four boys. Though they knew it was not the forbidden fruits of the Bible but Mr. Jacob's forbidden fruits. Garba was angry when he learnt that it was Bawa who had told on him. They all began to avoid Bawa. But all these had been over thirty-five years ago. They grown and become men. Garba had turned out to be the star of them all, having excelled in school and had gone to Lagos and then to England. He returned to Dongongari and settled down. Now all the boys who went to the St. Aquinas now have children. But they all still sit together on weekends and talk of the past. Mr. Jacob and the forbidden fruits was always an exciting topic and they would laugh. "Only God know where the white master is today," Sule would say with nostalgia. "Perhaps long dead and buried," Tanko would say. "But he was a terror," Bawa reminded. He had succeeded. his father as the tobacco merchant in ,Jogongan even though he was once a banker. Garba would laugh. "Come to think of it, he was a good man. The lesson of the forbidden fruits was that of obedience. We ought to have obeyed him as our elder and teacher," he said: They all agreed with him. The End .... TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...JOIN US TOMORROW FOR MORE ON THIS FUNNY AND EXCITING STORY }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
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