Journalist loses her 17-year-old daughter and grandson in Jos house fire

A journalist working with the University of Jos Ice FM in Plateau State, Juliana Olajide, has lost her 17-year-old daughter and a grandson in a fire that razed the family’s apartment.

Daily Trust learnt that the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, but the family suspected an electrical surge.

The fire incident also left Mrs Olajide and her husband with burns while they were battling to rescue their children from the flame.

“All I could remember was that I was forced to wake up at a quarter to 12 midnight to realize that the whole apartment was covered with thick smoke,” she said. 

“I rushed out to my children’s room but I could not access their room because our sitting room was already engulfed in flames. I ran to my husband’s room. My husband had to walk through the fire to alert neighbours to help us. We had to break louvers to access our children to rescue them from the fire,” Mrs Olajide, who was revived at JUTH, told the publication 

It was gathered that neighbours came to the family’s rescue and rushed them to the hospital.

“I lost my 17-year-old daughter and my two year-old grandson. My husband is in another ward battling with his life also,” she added.

It was learnt that the twins of the family, Rhema and Isreal were responding to treatment at the hospital.

The husband, Isaac Olajide, who sustained burns on his face and hands, could hardly talk.

Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Plateau State chapter, Mary Dumtur, who led her members to the hospital, appealed to individuals, governments and corporate organisations to come to the aid of the family to recover from the accident.

“They have lost everything including the house and all they had laboured for in life, they need to be assisted morally, spiritually and financially to enable the recovery from this disaster,” she said.