A midnight fire has claimed the lives of a Customs Officer attached to the Oyo/Osun Command, Tijani Kabiru, his wife and four of their children in Akankan Area of Ede of Osun State.

According to reports, a 13-year-old boy, however, narrowly escaped the tragedy.

The inferno, which occurred around 3am on Monday, gutted the residence of the officer, burning him and his family members to death.

A statement signed by the Director of the Osun State Fire Service, Mr. Olaniyi Alimi, and shared by the Spokesperson of the Service, Ibraheem Adekunle, confirmed the incident.

The statement read, “We were informed of the incident via a distress call to our emergency number 08030808254 at 3:21 a.m. Our team from Ede Zonal Command proceeded to the scene, with a backup team joining from the Fire Service Headquarters in Abere.

“The address of the fire incident is Customs Tijani Kabiru Road, Akankan Area, Ede North LG. The street was named after the deceased, who was a Customs officer from the Oyo/Osun Command.

“Mr. Tijani Kabiru, reported to be in his late 40s, and his wife, said to be in her early 40s, lost their lives alongside four of their children—three boys and a girl—aged between three and 10 years.

“The estimated loss from the inferno is around N200 million, while property worth N500 million was saved.”