A man lost his life in a fire that broke out at Lafia Hotel in Ilorin, Kwara State, last Thursday night.
The incident, which occurred around 11:38 pm at the short-let apartment along Coca-Cola Road, left the victim, yet to be identified, burnt beyond recognition.
Sources revealed that the man had spent the night in a room occupied by a female commercial sex worker. Before the fire started, the woman reportedly left to buy some items and locked the man inside, following the hotel’s rule against men staying overnight with female guests.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has begun investigating the incident, but all the occupants linked to sex work have since vacated the premises.
The fire, believed to have been caused by a power surge, affected a two-storey building consisting of two flats with three bedrooms each. Thick smoke made it almost impossible for people inside to escape.
According to Hassan Adekunle, spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, “Initial reports indicate the fire began shortly after power was restored, spreading rapidly across the building. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control by 11:51 pm.”
Authorities are continuing their probe to determine the exact cause of the fire and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
