Benue tragedy: two sisters die after house goes up in flames

Fire claims two sisters in Zaki-Biam

What should have been an ordinary night of sleep ended in tragedy for a family in Zaki-Biam, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, after two teenage sisters were burnt to death in a house fire.

The incident occurred in the Kaffe area of Zaki-Biam on Monday and has left residents grieving as investigators work to determine what happened. The victims were reportedly asleep inside a round hut when the structure was engulfed in flames shortly after midnight.

Residents said neighbours made frantic efforts to rescue the girls, but the intervention came too late. One of the sisters reportedly died at the scene after sustaining severe burns, while the other was rushed to hospital and later succumbed to her injuries.

The deaths have shaken the community, with many residents struggling to come to terms with the loss of the two girls.

Residents allege dispute before blaze

A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that the incident may have stemmed from a dispute involving a woman identified as Mbayegh and a man, Aondoyima Ierkwagh.

According to the resident, the suspect allegedly went to the man's residence late Sunday night intending to spend time with him but was reportedly asked to leave. The source claimed the woman refused to leave after allegedly suspecting that another woman was inside the man's home.

The resident further alleged that, unknown to the suspect, Aondoyima had earlier locked his two daughters inside a nearby round hut before allegedly joining another woman in a separate hut. The source said that at about midnight, believing the woman was inside the hut, the suspect allegedly set the structure ablaze.

Tragically, the girls were said to have been asleep inside at the time.

The matter was immediately reported to the police and the suspect was arrested and is currently being interrogated,

— Anonymous Resident, Resident, Kaffe Community

Police confirm arrest and ongoing investigation

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said investigations were ongoing and cautioned against concluding that the incident resulted from a lovers' dispute before police establish the facts.

Edet said the account received by the police came from the girls' father, who reported that someone set his house on fire. She added that neighbours tried to rescue the girls and take them to hospital, where they later died while receiving treatment.

I don't really know if it was a lovers' quarrel that resulted in the act, but the report we got from the father of the girls, who reported the incident to the police, was that someone set his house on fire,

— DSP Udeme Edet, Spokesperson, Benue State Police Command

He said neighbours tried to rescue the girls and rushed them to the hospital. Tragically, they died while receiving treatment. So I cannot say whether it was a lovers' quarrel. A suspect has been arrested and investigation is currently ongoing.

— DSP Udeme Edet, Spokesperson, Benue State Police Command

Community mourns as questions remain

Residents also disclosed that the girls' mother was away in neighbouring Taraba State for farming activities when the tragedy happened, leaving the family to return home to a devastating loss.

The incident has cast a dark shadow over the Kaffe community, where residents continue to mourn the deaths of the two sisters while awaiting the outcome of the police investigation.

As detectives work to establish exactly what happened that night, key questions remain unresolved about the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.