Penultimate Monday, an orphanage owned by the Missionary Alliance for Africa, MAFA , known as Bethany Home, was completely razed down by a broad daylight fire outbreak. Thankfully, all the occupants were ferried to safety, averting a major disaster. The Nigeria Police is leaving nothing to chance? in unraveling the arsonists. ABU NMODU writes.
So far, two nationals of Niger Republic have been arrested raising the suspicion that many of the heinous crimes may have been carried out by foreigners.
The razing of the Missionary home and arrest of the Nigeriens came barely 48 hours after the Niger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, raised the alarm over the influx of some Niger republic indigenes into the state.
The governor in his usual character did not hold back his feelings at a recent public function at the Government House.? He? accused the Nigeriens of being easy tools used by some disgruntled elements in the state, to cause havoc on innocent people and properties.
He observed that these Nigeriens usually enter the country easily because they speak Hausa language, and hide under some mundane reasons to cause havoc as they do not have any stake in the country.
The Nigeriens arrested by the police were said to be employed near the MAFA building as security men (Mai guard). Some of their compatriots also sell water in jerry cans. LEADERSHIP SUNDAY investigation revealed that these Nigeriens illegally occupy an uncompleted building behind the orphanage.
Known as Mai’ruwa further revealed that these arsonists on gaining entrance into the orphanage had set some mattresses spread outside of the building ablaze before setting the main building on fire. Though the orphans and the less privileged numbering about one hundred were ferried to safety, the question now is how to provide an alternative shelter for them.???
The pastor in charge of the Mission, Pastor Yusuf Bala Dajel recalled how several attempts were made to raze down the Bethany Home before the arsonists finally succeeded.
Pastor Dajel who spoke exclusively to LEADERSHIP SUNDAY maintained that despite the huge loss the centre had submitted what happened to God. He recalled that attempts to raze the home started about a week before the arsonists finally succeeded.
According to the clergy, “They have been attempting to burns this place. The first attempt was on Monday 16, 2012 when an unknown motorcycle was found inside the compound and we raised the alarm to identify the owner of the said motorcycle, but all efforts proved abortive”.
He narrated further, “Secondly, on Wednesday 18, 2012 at about 11am, my wife called me that there was a fire incident in the house, I quickly went home and discovered that the motorcycle that was parked inside the compound had? been set on fire. We? quickly? controlled the fire”.
When asked what the Mission did following these several attempts to set the place ablaze, he explained that the incidents were reported to the police and they advised them to be at alert, but despite that there was another attempt the same day to set the home ablaze.
“That very day we reported the incident to the police and the police came led by the District Police Officer (DPO) of the Tudun Wada police station. They advised us to be alert. Again around 4:30pm in the evening when we came back we saw that there was fire inside the building and we called the fire service and they were able to put out the fire before it got out of hand”, he added.
According to him, “Again on Thursday morning, there was another attempt to burn the Bethany home. Police came and checked the surrounding and left. Suddenly, I learnt that there was flame coming out of one of the rooms inside the building and we are able to control it”.
Following the persistent attempts on the Mission the police posted some of their men to guard the building, but only at night. Invariably the arsonists who had been watching the turn of events at the Mission decided to set the building ablaze in the afternoon.
Recalling what happened on that fateful Monday he said, “This Monday, I went out around 9:30am to drop some visitors at the garage and went to Kafinkoro and when I came back I met my wife where she was but I was in the Top Medical area in Minna when they said my wife went to the Bethany home to check what was happening only to hear people shouting fire! fire!? Before we could call the fire service the inferno had become uncontrollable. Everything we have in the home including credentials, computers were burnt”.
The pastor who was however grateful to the Almighty that no life? was lost said that the whole episode had been committed to God.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Adamu Oguche (ASP) confirmed that two nationals of Niger Republic have been arrested in connection with the attack on the home.
Oguche said, “It is true. We had signals of the fire attack on a missionary home off Bay Clinic Road, in Tunga during the Senior Police Officers conference with the Commissioner of Police and the Divisional Police Officer was immediately dispatched to quell the fire attack.”
The police spokesman said that the state Field Mission Coordinator of the home had reported attacks on the home, but was unable to identify any attackers. He however, said that on close investigation, the Police suspected that the arsonists may have been invading the home from an uncompleted building beside the home.
Based on the clue however, the Police spokesman said two guards in the uncompleted building are now being questioned to get a lead to the perpetrators of the dastardly act.