KPOFIRE: Woman leaves her three children in a boat, returns to meet them all burnt - Newstrends
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KPOFIRE: Woman leaves her three children in a boat, returns to meet them all burnt

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– Another mother, her one month old baby burnt too in Port Harcourt serial fire outbreaks

For three consecutive days, destructive fire outbreaks, fueled by unsafe, indiscriminate storing and movement of illegally refined petroleum products, better known as “kpofire” wrecked havoc in parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital city.

The infernos caused death, injuries and disruptions of livelihoods. Beyond that, the serial fire outbreaks also exposed failures of key stakeholders in checking the resilience of oil thieves and illicit producers of ‘kpofire’.

The serial fires started the night of Saturday 20 Novembers at No 1 Isiokpo Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (LGA), where illegally refined fuel stored in a presumed abandoned warehouse went up in flames, stretching as far as 50meters to surrounding property.

Uche Okoro, resident in the neighborhood said, “Once set off, the fire spread through the spilled fuel along the gutters, burning cars parked on the street. In the collateral damage, it burnt surrounding buildings and warehouses, including a church and razed part of the Port Harcourt center of the National Institute of Information Technology, NIIT.

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“Big tankers, power generating sets, 40ft container and goods inside the warehouses were also burnt down, with the huge loss estimated at tens of millions of naira.”

Victims were still lamenting the huge losses when residents in Rumuokoro, Obio/Akpor LGA raised alarm Sunday afternoon on another destructive fire, this time in an even bigger illicit petroleum products distribution site.

A witness narrated, “from about noon, it razed the uncompleted building where it started and narrowly missed an adjacent big branch of a commercial bank along the East-West Road. Other property behind were also affected before intervention from fire service.”

Inside the uncompleted building where it started were concealed over 20 tanks of illegally refined products. The front of the building was a warehouse for bags of rice, spaghetti and cartons of tin tomatoes among other foodstuff. All were burnt. A large underground tank filled with illegally refined products was not torched.

Fatal dimension

The third incident, the Port Harcourt serial outbreaks assumed fatal dimension at the Bonny/Bille jetties of the Nembe Waterside, Port Harcourt City LGA.

From the inferno that lasted several hours, Nnamdi Omoni, Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers Command, confirmed recovery of four bodies. A careless smoker reportedly ignited a wooden passenger/cargo boat offloading volumes of illegally refined fuel. Among the dead recovered were three children. They were siblings.

Eyewitnesses suspect the death toll is far more. A witness simply identified as Johnson narrated, “Children, and many others are fear dead. The boat was parked beside 6 others, one of them loaded passengers, another with timber, crayfish, garri, kerosene and other food items waiting to take off.

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“You know where they used to bring fuel and diesel, even the jetty water was covered with so much of the mix of highly inflammable products spilled on the water that any contact could spread wildfire. The spark from the cigarette caught the fire. All the seven boats and their contents were razed.

Another witness who saw it all happen, in his own account, said, “my greatest pain were the children killed. A mother left her three children in the boat to go buy items onshore. They were burnt before she could return to save them. One of two victims said to have been rushed to hospital was said to have died, news just filtered now.”

Madam Elijah, another observer said, “A baby of a month old and the mother, roasted because of carelessness. People were offloading product from a boat and a man was smoking. I don’t know what he did, next thing we saw was fire burst from the offloading boat. Since the place is already saturated with oil and various fuel products, the fire became uncontrollable.

“Heavy wind helped spread the fire to umbrellas and tables of traders buying and selling. Fire service personnel who came in were driven away by traders for perceived late response when much damage had been done.”

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Leader of Crayfish and fish sellers at the Nembe Bille water front, Henrietta Simeon lamented that their goods worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire.

Govt reacts

Rivers Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Peter Meede had, on assessment of the colossal damages announced that investigations have begun to find lasting solutions.

On the immediate action, he said, “The Rivers government has dedicated two telephone lines for people to report unwholesome practices in the state. We have warned severally that when you see and you don’t report, when it happens, it is your own property that would be destroyed, it is your own life that could be lost.

With the impunity with which indulgence in oil theft and ‘kpofire’ thrive in Rivers, only a very few persons have confidence in the responses from government and the police.

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No Lives Lost as Responders Contain Dual Fire Outbreaks Across Lagos

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No Lives Lost as Responders Contain Dual Fire Outbreaks Across Lagos

No Lives Lost as Responders Contain Dual Fire Outbreaks Across Lagos

Firefighters control blazes in Ikorodu and Surulere while clearing major highway obstructions over a busy emergency weekend.

Two separate fires destroyed several shops in Ikorodu and Surulere on Monday, causing significant property loss for local traders. Official reports confirm that while merchandise and equipment worth millions of naira were lost, no one was injured or killed in either incident.

The first incident occurred early Monday morning at Adamo Bus Stop in Ikorodu. Investigators found that faulty electrical wiring sparked on the roof of a salon, allowing flames to spread to two nearby stores.

Emergency teams arrived promptly to extinguish the fire and cool the surrounding structures so the flames would not return. Later that morning, another fire broke out on Olatunde Onimole Street in Surulere, destroying two retail spaces that housed a furniture business and a grocery store.

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Emergency teams also assisted drivers dealing with transit disruptions across the city, including towing disabled trucks off busy roads and aiding passengers after a commercial bus overturned on the Third Mainland Bridge.

LASEMA leadership praised the teamwork of police officers, paramedics, and traffic managers who kept the public safe. State authorities continue to remind shop owners and residents to inspect their electrical systems regularly and keep equipment properly maintained to protect their workplaces.

 

No Lives Lost as Responders Contain Dual Fire Outbreaks Across Lagos

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Plateau Attacks: Gunmen Kill Passengers, 13 Dead Across Three LGAs

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Plateau Attacks: Gunmen Kill Passengers, 13 Dead Across Three LGAs

Plateau Attacks: Gunmen Kill Passengers, 13 Dead Across Three LGAs

At least 13 people have been killed in a fresh wave of violence across Plateau State, with gunmen attacking a commercial bus in Jos South Local Government Area and separate communities in Mangu and Riyom LGAs.

The attacks, which occurred between Saturday and Monday, September 12 and 14, 2026, have heightened fears of renewed reprisal violence in communities already affected by prolonged tensions and recurring clashes.

One of the deadliest incidents occurred at Dungus Kuru T-junction, near Science School in Jos South, where gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus travelling from the Farin Lamba axis towards Jos.

The attack reportedly occurred at about 8:30pm on Sunday as the vehicle was moving through the area. The assailants opened fire on the bus before fleeing, leaving several passengers dead and others injured.

An initial military account put the death toll at six passengers, comprising five males and one female, while two others sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospital.

Troops responding to a distress call subsequently moved into the area and began operations to track down the attackers.

However, subsequent accounts from community sources placed the number of people killed in the bus attack at nine, saying some passengers who initially survived the shooting later died from their injuries.

The Berom Youth Moulders, through its spokesman, Rwang Tengwong, reportedly said one of the victims was a member of Operation Rainbow, a local security initiative operating in Plateau State.

The differing casualty figures could not immediately be reconciled, as security authorities were still working to establish the full circumstances and final toll of the attack.

The Plateau State Police Command also confirmed that attacks had occurred but indicated that investigations were ongoing and that further details would be provided after the facts had been established.

The identities and motive of the attackers remained unknown as of Tuesday, while security agencies continued efforts to locate those responsible.

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The Dungus Kuru bus attack came amid a series of other deadly incidents reported in parts of Mangu Local Government Area, further raising concerns about the possibility of retaliatory attacks.

In Alohom community in Mangu, three young Fulani herders were reportedly killed in an attack.

The victims were identified as Garzali Shaibu, 18; Bashiru Yakubu, 14; and Salim Abubakar, 15.

Security reports indicated that 36 cattle were also killed, while another 12 sustained gunshot injuries. Two other members of the herding group were initially reported missing.

Troops deployed to the area reportedly recovered the bodies of the three victims.

Members of the affected Fulani community alleged that suspected Mwaghavul militia were responsible for the attack. The allegation, however, had not been independently established by security authorities, and no particular group had been officially identified as responsible.

The violence reportedly continued in Vodni community in Mangu LGA, where suspected attackers killed two people and injured several others.

Reports on the incident also indicated that children were among those affected, with five children reportedly found injured inside a house after troops responding to a distress call arrived in the community.

The injured children were evacuated to Mangu General Hospital for treatment.

Another attack was reported in Tahoos in Riyom Local Government Area, where two people were reportedly killed.

The incidents across Jos South, Mangu and Riyom brought the reported death toll from the fresh violence to at least 13, although community accounts suggested that the figure could be higher.

The latest Plateau violence has renewed concerns about the fragile security situation in the state, particularly in communities where disputes involving farming and herding populations have previously triggered cycles of attacks and reprisals.

The killing of passengers travelling in a commercial vehicle has also raised fresh concerns about the safety of motorists and commuters using roads connecting communities around Jos South and neighbouring local government areas.

Residents fear that the latest killings could lead to retaliatory attacks if security agencies fail to identify the perpetrators and prevent further violence.

Security forces operating under Operation Enduring Peace have continued patrols and responses in affected areas, while authorities are expected to intensify surveillance and efforts to apprehend those responsible.

Community leaders and security agencies are also under pressure to prevent the latest incidents from escalating into wider communal violence and to protect residents, farmers, herders and commuters across vulnerable areas.

For now, investigations into the Dungus Kuru attack and the other incidents are continuing, while authorities work to establish the final casualty figures, identify the perpetrators and determine the motives behind the attacks.

Plateau Attacks: Gunmen Kill Passengers, 13 Dead Across Three LGAs

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Police Arrest Mother Over Alleged Brutal Abuse of 7-Year-Old Girl in Anambra

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Police Arrest Mother Over Alleged Brutal Abuse of 7-Year-Old Girl in Anambra

Police Arrest Mother Over Alleged Brutal Abuse of 7-Year-Old Girl in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 32-year-old woman, Mrs Ogechi Ofoma, following the alleged brutal physical abuse of her seven-year-old daughter in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The incident was reported to the police on the evening of Sunday, September 13, 2026, after the child was reportedly found with severe bodily injuries in the Awada-Obosi area.

According to the police, security personnel from the Ibollo Community and concerned residents intervened after becoming aware of the alleged abuse. The intervention led to the rescue of the child and the arrest of her mother.

Preliminary findings indicate that the girl suffered serious physical injuries. The police said the injuries were reportedly inflicted with a hot knife, although investigations are still ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault.

The child has been taken under the care and protection of relevant authorities, while the Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare is working with the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, to facilitate urgent medical attention and welfare support for the victim.

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The police have commenced an investigation into the incident to determine what led to the alleged abuse and whether any other person was involved.

Mrs Ofoma remains in police custody as investigators work to establish the full circumstances of the case and determine the appropriate legal action.

The intervention by the Ibollo Community security personnel and residents has also drawn attention to the role of communities in protecting children and reporting suspected cases of child abuse.

Cases involving children who suffer physical violence can require intervention from law enforcement, social welfare authorities and other child-protection agencies to ensure the victim’s immediate safety and access to appropriate care.

The Anambra Police Command commended the community members who responded to the situation and helped secure the child’s rescue.

The case comes amid continuing concerns over child abuse in Nigeria, particularly physical violence against children who may be unable to protect themselves or report their experiences.

Authorities are expected to establish the nature and extent of the girl’s injuries, examine available evidence and determine whether additional suspects should be questioned or arrested.

The outcome of the investigation will determine the next legal steps in the case.

Police Arrest Mother Over Alleged Brutal Abuse of 7-Year-Old Girl in Anambra

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