Three teenage boys have been burnt to death in Adamawa State, Northeast Nigeria.
SaharaReporters learnt that the Almajirai boys were burnt after fire was ignited from a mosquito repellant in their makeshift apartment.
The incident happened at Sabon Pegi Sangaya area of Shagari Ward in the Yola South Local Government Arra of Adamawa State.
The proprietor of the Almajiri Quranic school, Malam Abubakar Usman, confirmed that the three minors died due to fire which was kindled from a mosquito repellant.
He explained that the victims, Ismaila Muhammadu (12) and Yusuf Abubakar (13) died instantly, while 17-year-old Mustapha Ahmadu died on Saturday morning at the Modibbo Adama Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola.
He said, “It was around 11pm when we had already gone to bed and one of the kids came crying. We rushed to see that one of the huts was on fire and we decided to put out the fire; that was when we saw two dead Almajirai in the burnt hut.”
The father of one of the deceased, Muhammed Bello Sabon Gari, described the incident as the will of God.
He however sympathised with the teacher of the almajiris and urged him to be patient with the parents of his wards.
Another parent, Garba Ayuba Farang, who also lost a child in the fire, expressed sadness and lamented that he never sent anything to his child due to hardship.