A middle-aged man, Mr. Chukwuma Adiruba who recently lost his three children to fire disaster on the eve of Valentine day in Ugwucheleku kindred, Ubahu Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra state has refuted reports of wife’s infidelity.
Social media was awashed with reports of how his wife allegedly left her children at home for Valentine groove with her lover, only to return the following morning to meet all her three kids, including a 2-month old, dead.
Adiruba described the report as false and unfounded, saying his wife did not leave his children to go to bed with another man on the day of the incident as alleged.
While insisting that he has never had any reason to suspect his wife, having not been associated with any form of infidelity, Adiruba wondered where the rumour originated from.
Narrating the ugly experience, Adiruba said his wife was at home while he was away for a function when the incident took place.
He said, “I came back from Enugu state where I performed as a musician around 11pm, and left again to perform at a prayer ministry close to my house. Actually, my wife had requested I should not go out again, but I insisted.
“It was not up to three hours later that I was called on phone that my house was on fire. But by the time I got home, I discovered that all my children and belongings were already burnt.”
According to him, he saw his wife rolling on the floor half naked with burns on her face, arms and legs.
“As I attempted to cover and lift her up, she became unconscious. I had to rush her to a nearby hospital,” he sobbed.
On her part, the wife, Mrs. Ogochukwu Adiruba said the fire was caused by the candle she lit that night to enable her children sleep.
She said, “I first collected my husband’s phone to light up the house after the battery of my phone went off. But that of my husband also went off in the midnight.
“I didn’t have any other option than to light the remaining candle in the house as my children find it difficult to stay without light.
“I was in a deep sleep when the candle caught fire and spread to the whole house.”
The visibly devastated couple, whose children had since been buried, called on government and spirited individuals to come to their rescue, saying their major challenge were clothing and shelter.
“Our major problem is where to lay our heads and cover our nakedness. We are now struggling to eat,” they lamented.