The Kano State Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Yusuf Kofar-Mata, on Wednesday, lost three of his family members to a fire outbreak that gutted his residence at Kofar-Mata quarters in the state.
The incident occurred early Wednesday while members of the family were said to be asleep.
However, the commissioner was said to have narrowly escaped the disaster but lost his daughter, Maimuna, his elder sister Khadija and one Juwairiyya; also a close relative to the incident.
In a short notice posted on his verified social media handle, the commissioner expressed deep grief, saying ”Unto Allah, we came and to him we shall return.”
He said, “I mourn the loss of my daughter Maimuna (Islam), my senior sister, Hajiya Khadija, and my brother’s wife, Juwairiyya, who all perished in the fire accident this morning.
“Their funeral prayers had been conducted at 11am at Kofar-Mata quarters, Kano City today.”
It was gathered that several valuables were destroyed in the fire, but no official report is available to ascertain yet.
When contacted, the State Fire Service spokesperson, Abdullahi Saminu, confirmed the incident.
He said the level of damage and cause of the inferno could not be ascertained immediately.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
