L-R: Managing Director, Flow Grids Nigeria Limited,Mr Alek Musa, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, Mr Ernest Nwapa and Managing Director, Energia Limited, Mr Felix Amieyeofori, at the 2014 Abuja Petroleum Roundtable (APR) in Abuja, recently.

A 39-year old man, one Isreal popularly called Orlando was yesterday found burnt to death, while scores were injured in a fire outbreak that engulfed properties worth millions of Naira at Aziabie Community in the Trans-Amadi area of Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The deceased, a goat seller at the Port Harcourt Abattoir market was said to have hailed from Etim Ekpo Local Government of Akwa Ibom State.
The inferno was said to have started at about 12.13 am, yesterday when Emmanuel Okon , a neighbor, was still making preparations for his child’s dedication at a church service, yesterday.
At at the time of filing this report, The Tide learnt that the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained but it was gathered that the fire started from a makeshift building of the deceased, and immediately spread to over 15 similar houses, after all effortless to put out the fire had failed.
Speaking with The Tide, an eye witness, whose apartment was also partly burnt, one Micheal Alatonye, said, when the Rivers State Fire Service was called to put out the fire, officials who responded to the distress call said, there was not enough water in their trucks to fight the fire.
He said, it took neighbours and sympathizers hours before they could put out the inferno.
He also said that, until the fire was put out, nobody knew that Isreal had been burnt to death in the inferno.
According to him, there was no power supply on the fateful night but generators were on, for the preparation of Emmanuel Okon’s child dedication, when suddenly, the fire took over the neighbourhood.
Until late yesterday, the remains of the late Isreal was still lying in his burnt apartment under the surveillance of men of Trans Amadi Police station.
Residents, whose apartments were burnt down, took to their heels for fear of Police arrest.
Many persons, who sustained injuries in the course of the ravaging fire were said to have been admitted in different clinics and hospitals within the area.
However, The Tide learnt that as at 6pm yesterday, the parents of the late Isreal had arrived from Akwa Ibom, and were discussing with the Police to finalise arrangements to take his corpse away for burial.
The Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmed Mohammed, who confirmed the incident to The Tide in a telephone interview, yesterday, added that the Police were investigating the cause of the fire that led to the death of the young man.

Enoch Epelle