By Olayinka Latona

Saturday July 16, 2010 was a day the residents of Akinbayode Street in Papa-Ajao area of Lagos  will never forget in a hurry due to an early morning inferno that gutted a two-storey building in the area.Nothing was salvaged from the inferno.

According to eye-witnesses, the fire which started at about 1:10 a.m. was  caused by a spark from one of the air- conditioners in the building. The fire was said to have spread to other  rooms in the first building. Although no life was lost,   properties estimated at about N100 million were reportedly destroyed in the inferno.

The building in flames.

Vanguard Metro learnt that the fire started from a room allegedly belonging to one Mr Bayo before  spreading rapidly to other rooms where  money and other vital documents were completely burnt before help came from the Fire Service. The eye-witnesses said sympathisers battled to put out  the fire to no avail. Policemen from the Rapid Response Squad  were on hand to provide security and ensure that hoodlums did not take advantage of the situation to loot.

One of the victims, Mr. Ogunlola who had two rooms in the building said he lost over  N300,000 to the inferno, while his wife who was planning to travel to Mecca lost her green card , passport and other vital documents. He   said the entire household would have been consumed by the raging fire had the daughter not alerted his wife about some strange movements at the corridor.

He attributed the large scale destruction to the uncooperative attitude of occupants of the building whom he alleged, did not love themselves. “My room was the last to be  burnt because it was in the front and the fire started from the back of the building. Other neighbours  who rushed out from their rooms did not care to wake my family.  Thank God that one of my children heard footsteps and  woke her mother who quickly woke me up.

“Now I don’t have anything that I can call my own. I came out only with a wrapper,  the same as my wife. Somebody  gave me what I am wearing now.  I came back on  Friday night with N300,000 which I wanted to give to my client. Similarly,  my wife’s passport was also burnt. She was even planning to travel to Mecca this year. You cansee that I am finished!” he lamented.

Another victim who did not disclose his  identity explained that he went to vigil on Friday. “I was not at home when the incident occurred. I came home early that morning to see that the house has been razed down,” he said, adding that inferno spread like wild fire because the tenants were not seeing eye to eye.“Is it a crime to worship my God? I went to Church only to meet all my properties burnt by the fire. Oh my God, where will I start from now?” he wept. According to him, occupants of the building are also suspicious of each other, hence they did not come to help salvage his property. “If it is not hatred, what stopped them from helping the man in whose room the fire started? This great loss would have been averted if the tenants lived cordially,” he said.

The son of the landlord,  Mr. Tubosun Akinbayode told Vanguard Metro that he tried to save the situation but all the occupants of the building were only shouting ‘fire! fire!!’  while watching helplessly as the  entire building was reduced to ashes.  “These people are just something else.  When the fire started, I was not at home. It was my little child Sunday who came to call me. When I got to the scene, the building was already smouldering with fire.  I met all the people outside looking and shouting fire! fire!! fire!!!. With some of  my guys, we tried our best to quench the fire.

Vanguard Metro learnt  that some of the children of the landlord got the police to arrest and lock up some of the victims on the allegation that they were responsible for the inferno that gutted their property. They want the affected tenants to rebuild the house.

Madam Arinze who lives in the neighbourhood claimed that the landlord’s children called some of the affected occupants  on phone to accuse them of masterminding the  burning of their property. They wondered how somebody occupying  two rooms would be using an air-conditioner. She said Mr. Bayo in his room the fire started was called  and on his arrival he was beaten black and blue and handed over to the police.