A DEVASTATING fire in the Madina quarters area of Bauchi metropolis has resulted in the death of two young girls identified as Zainab Bashir Mohammed, aged 8, and Ummu Salma Bashir Mohammed, aged 5.
The Bauchi State Police Command, in a press release, said a distress call was received on the 17th of March 2024, alerting authorities to the outbreak of a fire in a residential building.
In response to the emergency, the police said a team of policemen from the ‘C’ Divisional Police Headquarters, along with the Federal Fire Service team, promptly rushed to the scene.
Tragically, by the time emergency responders arrived, the two girls had become trapped within the burning structure and were unable to escape.
The intensity of the fire had subjected them to severe burns, rendering their bodies unrecognizable, the police said.
The Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Mohammed, assured the public that a thorough investigation into the incident had been initiated and that all necessary measures would be taken to uncover the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner also addressed another tragic incident that occurred recently.
According to the police statement, a suspected motorcycle thief has been apprehended by an angry mob while attempting to steal a motorcycle at Magama Weekly Market.
Unfortunately, instead of handing the suspect over to law enforcement authorities for proper investigation and prosecution, the mob resorted to a vicious act of jungle justice, beating the suspect to death and subsequently setting him ablaze.
CP Auwal Musa Mohammed strongly condemned the barbaric act and emphasized that the Bauchi State Command under his leadership would not tolerate such lawlessness.
He stressed that no citizen has the right to take the law into their own hands and that suspects must be handed over to the police or relevant law enforcement agencies for due process.
The Commissioner assured the public that a discreet investigation into the incident would be conducted, with a view to arresting and bringing the perpetrators of the mob lynching to justice.
The Commissioner of Police also appealed for calm from the general public and assured them that the investigation into both incidents would be given top priority.