The incident was said to have occurred on Ijorgbor Street, off Upper Sokponba road in Benin, the state capital.
It was learnt that the victim, said to be five years old, and his brother had been locked inside the room by their father, with a lit cooking stove.
Their father was said to have gone out to purchase some items when the fire started.
It was learnt that the neighbours watched helplessly as the victim cried for help until he died in the inferno.
A source said that one of the sympathisers only managed to break through the burglary proof of one of the windows to rescue the victim’s brother.
He was later said to have been rushed to a hospital for treatment.
But the intensity of the inferno was said to have prevented rescuers from getting to the location of the deceased, who was burnt beyond recognition.
The source said, “The mother of the children went out. But the father was in the house. He wanted to buy something outside, so he locked the children inside.
“But before he could return, the fire had already engulfed the building. One of the children was rescued but the other one was burnt beyond recognition.”
A resident in the area, who gave his name as Osamudiamen Edobor, expressed shock over the incident.
“They had a stove and a generator in that room. The man was cooking in the room. It is sad that one of the children died,” Edobor added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Nkombe, could not be reached for comments.
He had also yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing the report.
Punch
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