Minna, Niger State — A devastating fire outbreak in the early hours of Monday razed a residential building in the Albishiri Area 1 of Minna, destroying property estimated at over ₦35 million. The incident has left the affected family and local residents in deep shock and despair.
The blaze, which consumed a three-bedroom apartment belonging to Mr. Jibril Suleiman—an employee of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Minna Area Office—destroyed everything in its path. The cause of the fire remains unknown at the time of this report.
Suleiman Jibril said, “I have a three-bedroom flat. This fire started around 1 o’clock a.m. There was no light then, and we were confused about where the fire came from. As we started looking for help here and there, unfortunately, no help came from anywhere. All the three bedrooms were burnt to ashes, including property worth ₦35 million.”
Speaking in Hausa, Mr. Suleiman’s wife, Aisha Mohammed Jibril, tearfully recounted the losses suffered. Among the destroyed items were five bags of soya beans, a significant amount of cash, original academic certificates belonging to her children, and valuables she had gathered in preparation for her three daughters’ weddings.
“It started in the middle of the night. We were sleeping when the children came to wake us up. On waking up, we started pouring water. We asked people to help us with water, but there was no water, as they had all gone out in search of water and were tired, sleeping. I can’t blame anybody; that is how the Almighty wants it. There are a lot of things that burnt, a lot—a lot of things…”
Also affected was their son, Abdulhadi Jibril, who expressed distress over the loss of his academic documents, including original certificates essential for securing admission to IBB University to study Computer Science.
“I am 18 years old. I wrote JAMB and applied for Computer Science at IBB University, Lapai. My score in JAMB was 160. I lost my primary school certificate, secondary school certificate, NIN, and other important documents. I don’t know how to get original documents again.”
The family is now appealing to the government and members of the public for support, as they attempt to recover from the life-altering tragedy.
