Midnight inferno kill 2 children in Esan-West Local Government Area of Edo.

Two siblings died in a fire on Saturday night at Ekpoma, in the Esan-West Local Government Area of Edo.

The children, a female, four-year-old Oyenchi Akamezie and two-year-old Chukwudalo Akamezie, a male, reportedly died when a fire from a lamp engulfed their room at night.

It was alleged that the mother of the children, Christy Akamezie, locked them up in the room while they were asleep and left to prostitute.

A crowd of sympathisers who had gathered at the residence on Ilenlua Street, rained curses on the bereaved mother.

As at the time of this report, the bodies of the children had yet to be evacuated from their one-room apartment, while the police had arrested their mother for alleged negligence.

The father of the children, Mr Chike Akamezie, a trader based in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area, who wept uncontrollably, told NAN that though he had been estranged from his wife, he never failed to provide for the upkeep of the children.

Akamezie, who admitted he never paid any dowry for his estranged wife, alleged that he was compelled to separate from her because she was sleeping around with other men.

He said he never knew that the woman could lock up the children at night to go for prostitution, adding he would have collected the children while separating from her, if his late mother was still alive.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Esan-West Local Government, declined comment, but directed the reporter to the Police/Public Relations Officer (PPRO) at the State Police Headquarters in Benin.

He explained that DPOs were not authorised to grant media interviews.