A three-month-old infant has been killed in a fire incident on Awe Street, Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The fire, which started around 10.30am on Monday, reportedly began from a room in the eight-apartment building before spreading to other flats.

The child was said to have been left in the care of a neighbour while the young mother, identified as Amira, left for an Islamic school within the neighbourhood.

“Because of the suddenness of the fire incident, people did not remember that the little baby was sleeping on the couch in the parlour of the neighbour.

“By the time people remembered, it was already late because the fire had engulfed every part of the building; the child was burnt beyond recognition,” a neighbour, who identified herself as Hassana Ayuba, said.

Amira, who spoke to PUNCH Metro amid tears, said she learned of the fire while she was in school.

She said, “When I finished bathing and dressing my baby up, my co-tenants told me that she looked beautiful and I thanked them. I then dropped her with my neighbour and left for school.

“I was still in school when somebody came to inform me that there was fire in my compound. Initially, I thought it was a minor one until another woman came and told me to go home.

“By the time I got home and saw the level of damage, I started crying and asked for my baby. It was then that I was told that my baby had died in the fire.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Catherine Anene, said she had yet to be briefed on the incident.

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