Gift lantern burns 75-yr-old man to death

A 75-year-old man, Lamina Ishola, was burnt to death inside his residence at Isale- Aro area of Osogbo, the Osun State capital as neighbours and other sympatisers looked on helplessly.

An eyewitness said that the neighbourhood had noticed thick flames coming from one of the rooms in the mud house where Ishola lived at about 9pm on the fateful day.

He explained that some residents of the area made frantic effort to put out the inferno before fire fighters arrived the scene, but to no avail, as Ishola, a father of two- a ten-year-old and a girl, aged 7-was unlucky as the fire had burned him to death before help came his way.

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The deceased’s 71-year-old younger brother, who identified himself as Ademola Oseni, said the fire likely broke out when Ishola mistakenly fell on a locally made kerosene-powered lantern. He disclosed that someone had bought the lantern for Ishola after the Power Holding Company of Nigeria disconnected electricity supply to his house when he could not pay his electricity bills.

Oseni also disclosed that Ishola, was not in good mental condition owing to an injury he sustained in an accident some time ago.

The victim’s remains had been buried early Friday at the Isale Aro family compound according to Islamic rites.

The Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Police Command, Mrs Folasade Odoro, said the police were not aware of the fire incident.

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