Tragic! Shopping complex fire claims life of Lagos journalist, 12-yr-old son

A tragic scene played out on Awolowo Way, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State In the early hours of Sunday when a shopping complex caught fire claiming the life of a Lagos journalist and his son.

Reports say the journalist identified as Akinwunmi Dickson and his 12-year-old son named Nelson were asleep in an office in the shopping complex when the fire incident broke out at about 5am.

An eyewitness, Wasiu Hamsat said the 50-year-old journalist, who published a brand magazine, Brand Campaign and his son chocked to death from the smoke which emanated from the early morning fire.

Hamsat said the corpses of the victims were found in front of Akinwunmi’s office.

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He said; “I was asleep when I heard a noise around 5am. People were shouting that a building was on fire. We quickly called the fire service.

“When they did not show up on time, people were forced to break into the shop which was on fire. That was around 6am. But the smoke was much and nobody could enter. It was the smoke that killed the journalist and his son because the fire did not gut his office.

“At times, if there was traffic, he usually slept in the office with his child. No one knew he was inside the office because everybody was busy finding a way to put out the fire.

“Before we knew they were there, it was too late. They had struggled to open the door, but could not see anything because the smoke was much. In fact, people found them dead at the back entrance to his office.”

The incident was confirmed by CSP Chike Oti, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, who revealed that the corpses of the pair had been taken to a mortuary.

CSP Oti said, “On September 9, 2018, around 5.20am, there was a distress call to the police control room that there was a fire at a shopping complex and a residential building on Awolowo way, Ikeja, Lagos.

“One of the shops where the fire started was completely gutted; one Akinwunmi Dickson, 50, and his son, Nelson Dickson, 10, who slept in one of the shops used as an office in the building were choked to death as a result of smoke from the burnt shop.

“Various patrol vehicles provided security. Values of property destroyed have not yet been estimated. The corpses have been taken to IDH mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy. Investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing.”

 

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