UPDATED:Mysterious fire kills Kano INEC REC, wife, 2 children

Mysterious fire in the early hours of the day killed the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in Kano state, Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi , his wife and two children. It was  gathered that the REC’s residence at No. 2 Sir Kashim Road Nassarawa GRA Kano was gutted by fire around 4.30am […]

Mysterious fire in the early hours of the day killed the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in Kano state, Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi , his wife and two children.

It was  gathered that the REC’s residence at No. 2 Sir Kashim Road Nassarawa GRA Kano was gutted by fire around 4.30am when the residents were deeply asleep.

Family sources told our correspondent that when the inferno brokeout, the REC and some of his family members ran into the toilet in the master bedroom for safety.

Our correspondent reports the REC had hours before the fire outbreak addressed newsmen on the forthcoming governorship and state Assembly election in the state.

The Spokesperson of the Kano Police Command, ASP Magaji Musa Majia said the fire emanated from a split aircondition in the REC’s apartment.

” Several attempts (were made) to get in touch with him including banging the doors and breaking some of the toilets windows, but he was not responding. The Policemen and local guards broke the door leading to the sitting room, and discovered the sitting room was engulfed by fire.

 ” When policemen went into the bathroom inside the master bedroom the REC, his wife and his two  daughters were found unconscious on the floor. They  quickly removed them to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital,” he said.

He said it was the doctors at the hodpital that confirmed them dead.

”  The doctors confirmed the family died from inhalation of hot and black smoke,” he said.

In a telephone interview, the Public Relations Officer of the INEC in Kano, Mallam Garba Lawal Mohammed said the corpse of the REC and that of his family members have been taken to Jigawa state for burial.

The late REC who hailed from Jigawa state supervised the last Saturday’s presidential  and National Assembly elections in Kano state.