The death of two children in the Rumuola fire is being narrated like another unfortunate incident in a poor settlement, but let’s stop hiding behind sympathy and admit the uncomfortable truth: this tragedy was preventable, and the community failed those children long before the fire started.
Yes, the mother made a dangerous and irresponsible choice by locking four children inside a room with an open flame. But the bigger question is: how do children scream, bang on doors, and cry for help in a crowded settlement, and still die?
Residents admitted that strained relationships stopped neighbours from responding early. That is not just negligence; it is cruelty disguised as indifference.
And then there’s the shameful reality that dozens of families live in such dangerously flammable wooden structures behind a major state polytechnic, with no fire safety rules, no inspections, and no oversight.
Also Read: http://Two Children Feared Dead as Fire Guts Settlement in Port Harcourt
The government looks the other way, the community normalizes it, and everyone pretends disasters like this are inevitable.
Even worse, the mother reportedly fled the scene, another sign of a society where people fear judgment more than authorities because trust in law enforcement barely exists.
The fire service, as usual, arrived only after everything was gone. We act surprised, but this is the pattern we accept.
The truth is simple but uncomfortable: these children did not die because of poverty; they died because of a system, a community, and a chain of choices that placed them in harm’s way. Until we confront that, we will keep burying children and calling it “fate.”
