A gloomy cloud enveloped Onwo-Kiri Community (sandfield area) of Bonny Island this night as a fire outbreak claimed the lives of three children aged 4 years, 2 years and 9 months before the frantic efforts by neighbours could bring the fire under control.  

The distraught mother of the children, Christabel Pollyn, who is in her early twenties, was seen crying her out, insisting on seeing the corpse of her kids, which were evacuated to an undisclosed location.

Eyewitness accounts say the fire, which no one could say where or how it started, spread into the room where the children were sleeping through the ceiling of the house   

Chairman of Onwo-Kiri (Sandfield) Community, Bonny, Capt. Brown Allison told Kristina Reports that it took the combined efforts of the community members, especially, the youths, and fire service personnel from Shell Petroleum Development Company’s Crude Oil Terminal in Bonny to put out the fire.

Armed security operatives from the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, and Nigerian Navy, among others were seen around the area, ostensibly, to avert any breakdown of law and order.

Allison lamented that by the time they were able to get through to the room where the children were sleeping and force the door open, the youngest two had died while the eldest, a boy, died shortly after.

He regretted that the door was jammed thus preventing the eldest child from escaping the fire.

The children’s mother, Christabel Pollyn, however, disclaimed his position, saying that she did not lock the door, and she was also the first to raise alarm when the fire broke out.

Crying bitterly when Kristina Reports met her in her aunty’s house, Christabel stated that “I did not lock the door, I did not lock the door, there was no time I locked the door. Take me to go and see my children. I want to see them”.    

“I don’t cook there as I don’t have stove or electric cooker. There was no appliance that was on in the house. The room where the fire started from is my grandmother’s house and she has not been around for over a year now”.

Secretary of the Bonny Local Government Council, Omoni Longjohn, who spoke on behalf of the Chairman of the LGA, David Irimagha, warned against carelessness during this dry season.

“People should be careful with their appliances, with everything combustible this period. The whole area is dry and any small spark could trigger a fire outbreak. Safety should be the watchword of everyone at this time.”

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Telema, expressed disappointment that the Bonny Fire Station was yet to start operations, pointing out that were the fire station functional, the response time would have been shorter and the lives of the now deceased children saved.

“Why has the fire station not commenced operation? How about those who were sent for fire training? If the fire station was functioning, who knows the situation would have been different because from the fire station to this place is not far.”

‘Let the House of Assembly member do something about it. How can we be doing constituency project for over two years now? This is another fire incident that could have been averted if the fire station was functioning.”  

The lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Abinye Pepple, who built the Bonny Fire Station as a constituency project in his first tenure, was unavailable to respond to the issues raised about the fire station as at the time of this report.

Meanwhile, arrangements were on to bury the children by morning, as according to knowledgeable members of the community, it was a taboo to bury in the night in Bonny Kingdom.