Eniola Oduse, 22, along with her two children, Eri, 4, and Onoara, 2, tragically lost their lives in a fire suspected to be an arson attack at their home in the Ita Marun community, Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State.
Kehinde, the deceased’s husband, aged 25, survived the fire but sustained severe burns and is currently fighting for his life in hospital. The heartbreaking incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, 26 November.
On the night of Monday, 25 November, the family of four was asleep in their room when unknown individuals allegedly entered their premises at around 2 a.m.
According to reports by Punch, the attackers poured petrol around the flat and specifically into the family’s room before setting it ablaze. While Kehinde managed to escape, Eniola, a fashion designer, and her two children were unable to survive the fire.
Kehinde’s twin sister, Taiwo, recounted the harrowing events:
“The incident happened around 2 a.m. My brother and his family were already asleep when the people came and poured petrol on the building. Meanwhile, my brother had opened his window to allow ventilation. When they saw the window open, they sprinkled petrol in their room. The smell of the petrol woke the wife, who quickly called her husband’s attention to the smell.
“By the time they attempted to find out what was going on, they saw someone light a fire and throw it into their room. Kehinde, with fire on his body, quickly ran out of the house to call his relative living close to the house. Although the relative did not respond to his call, it was another neighbour who heard his voice and ran out to help.”
Taiwo added that by the time Kehinde returned to the flat, his wife and children were already caught in the flames. She shared:
“When they got back to the house, they saw the wife lying at the entrance of the house with the legs of her two kids in her arms. She actually tried to drag them out, but the fire was too much, and the kids were already dead at the time.”
Another family member, Razaq, revealed the couple faced difficulties obtaining medical help after the incident:
“They were rushed to various hospitals at midnight but were rejected due to the degree of the burns. They were moved around for medical attention for about seven hours before they were later referred to a hospital where they were admitted.
“They were eventually taken to a hospital somewhere in Lagos where they were attended to. But by the time they got medical attention, they were both weak. Doctors tried to save the wife, but she later died in the early hours of Thursday, 28 November. We really can’t ascertain the situation of Kehinde at the moment.”
The late Eniola and her children have since been buried.
Razaq alleged that the attack is believed to be connected to disputes over land in the community. He explained:
“The family has been under pressure and a series of attacks due to attempts to seize their land, running into hectares, from them. This was a part of what led to the death of their father about four months ago. His brother had also fled the community due to this, but Kehinde chose to stay behind because of his family. He was not at home for some days but came back that Monday to spend the night with his family when this incident happened.”
