Fire guts archbishop’s house in Kaduna

Fire has gutted the House of the Chairman of the Kaduna Peace Commission, Archibisop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, in Kaduna.

The four-bedroom duplex, which also houses the Centre for Christianity and Islamic Study, with property worth millions of naira, was razed by the inferno.

According to an eyewitness, the fire was caused by a worker in one of the houses close to Bishop Fearon’s house, who engaged in bush burning who refused to listen to warnings from people around.

The man (name withheld) was warned not to carry out the bush burning, but all the warning fell on deaf ears till the unexpected occurred.

Archibisop Fearon, who is currently the Secretary General of Anglican Communion Worldwide, with headquarters in London, expressed shock and disappointment over the unfortunate incident.

When contacted on phone for his reaction, he simply said: “Your love and concern are appreciated. May the Lord bless you. You know these uneducated people around us; what does one do other than just warn and leave them to God.

“My library had between 6,500 and 7,000 volumes with almost half on Islamic books and a good number out of print.

“God saved the ground floor as an evidence that God approves of our centre, bringing Muslim and Christian leaders to study and share their faith with one another. We give all the glory to God,” he said.

An eye witness, Hadiza Haruna, who is the bishop’s house help, said all efforts by the fire servicemen to put out the fire could not yield much result, as much damage had been done.

When journalists visited the house, sympathisers were seen coming to see the remains of the burnt building. Many of them expressed sadness over the level of destruction.