By Patrick Obia and Etido Okon
A family of seven has called on the government and well-meaning individuals to come to their aid after fire razed down their apartment in Calabar, Cross River State capital.
Mr. Etim Effiong made the appeal while narrating the unexplainable outbreak. The advanced-in-age watchman in a construction vicinity at Atimbo road where he lives with his family for years told CrossRiverWatch that the sad scene played out on the wee days of January (2nd) 2023 when he and his household stepped out in the afternoon for sightseeing but came back and fell on their knees seeing his house burnt to ashes without removing a pin.
With tears rolling down his cheeks, he said he can not tell what might have triggered the inferno as where they cook is meters away from the main building and over two years without electricity in the compound.
He prays all and sundry to come to his rescue as he has nothing on him except a single shirt and a trouser (worn for days). He said he does not know where to begin; his children’s school materials are gone without money to replace or pay their fees.
He narrated his ordeal: “I have lived here for almost five to six years. Nothing happened before, on Monday the 2nd day of January 2023, we went out with my family. As I came back I saw my house on fire, I did not remove anything. We couldn’t go near the fire because it was so intense.
“The youth leader was here with me, he called the fire service and they did not answer, I was the one managing to quench it as it was spreading. I don’t know the cause of the fire because we went out in the afternoon and we came back after 7pm and saw fire burning, nothing I picked and my children’s school materials are all gone.
“There is nothing like electricity here because NEPA had to disconnect the light since production was not going on in the company. We don’t have anything like a stove or gas, whatever we cook here is with firewood and is at the warehouse which the fire didn’t get to.”
Continuing, he pleaded for support while he sobbed, “Maybe someone came and set the fire. As we came back, I was the person with the key, I opened the gate. It was from the Navy Barracks Atimbo that I started seeing the fire, I didn’t know that it was in the compound it was coming from.
“Please I call on Nigerians and Cross Riverians to help, support, and help my family to get where to live, all my children’s books and uniforms have been burnt. I went to my boss whom I have worked for for the past two years without a salary and he didn’t even say take this 50 naira and help yourself up till today as I am talking to you.
“I beg you Nigerians, I beg you Cross Riverans, the government should come to our rescue. I am down on my knees, assist me in any way so I can start life all over again and my children back to school.”
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