The people of Ozizza in Afikpo area of Ebonyi State are still in a state of shock following the death of a teacher and her four children during Christmas. The oldest child was aged six while the last was six months old.
The woman whose name was given as Mrs Faith Ejim- Egwu, was said to have been recently posted to the Unity Secondary School in the area. She was said to be boiling something on the Christmas eve at about 7.30 pm when she took out her last child to bathe her while the other three children were already asleep. But at a point, she was said to have noticed that the fire on the stove was low and went into the kitchen of her two- room apartment with the child she was bathing to ascertain the problem.
According to police sources, it was in the process of ascertaining the problem that the stove exploded and fire engulfed the whole kitchen. It was also gathered that the woman tried to open the kitchen and escape with her child but the door could not open the jammed lock” had stiffened.
Outsiders who noticed the inferno could also not open the kitchen as the fire spread to the whole house and burnt the three children who were sleeping in their room beyond recognition.
When the kitchen door was eventually forced open, both the mother of the children and the little child had become unconscious but the sympathisers took her to a nearby hospital which was unable to treat them. They were rushed to a second hospital where she managed to say few words before dying on the Christmas day.
Her six-month- old child died three hours after her mother even as her husband who rushed home from his own location collapsed on arrival but was later revived. A neighbour, who gave his name as Emma Anyim confirmed the story and attributed “the strange deaths” to spiritual attack.
May God be with the family and friends of the deceased.
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