Heartbreaking Loss: Sokoto SSG Mourns Daughter and Grandchildren in Devastating Fire
In the early hours of Monday, January 6, 2025, a devastating fire claimed the lives of Rabi’atu Bello Sifawa, daughter of Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Sifawa, the Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, along with her three children: Fatimatu Bello Yusuf, Maryam Bello Yusuf, and Abubakar Sadik Bello Yusuf. A house help, Aishatu Muhammad, also perished in the blaze.
The inferno engulfed their residence while the family was asleep. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Firefighters battled the flames for hours before bringing the situation under control.
The sole survivor of the incident is Alhaji Muhammadu Yusuf Bello, Rabi’atu’s husband and the Permanent Secretary of the Sokoto State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development.
Funeral prayers were held at the Sheikh Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo Mosque in Sifawa, Bodinga Local Government Area, with interment following Islamic rites. Dignitaries in attendance included the Deputy Governor, Eng. Idris Mohammed Gobir, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tukur Bala Bodinga, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, among others.