Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State has called on women in the state to exercise caution while handling cooking gas, stoves and firewood in their daily activities.

The governor gave the advice on Monday evening while commiserating with Mande Maigona of the Gidan Igwai area, whose house was gutted by fire last week, resulting in the death of one of his aides, Habibu.

Aliyu reminded women that extra caution must always be observed when handling gas cylinders and other inflammable materials, which have often been responsible for fire outbreaks in many communities.

He described the inferno that razed Maigona’s house as unfortunate and devastating, considering the loss of life and property recorded during the incident.

The governor appealed to the victim to regard the incident as an act ordained by God and prayed that such calamities would not occur again.

“Our hearts are with you, Mande, and as a government, we will, Insha Allah, do everything humanly possible to assist you,” the governor promised.

He also condoled with Mande over the death of his aide and prayed God to forgive the deceased and grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Governor Aliyu also visited the Dambuwa Gidan Gabas area, where he condoled with the family of Abubakar Mabera, a former driver to ex-Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, who died at the age of 73, leaving behind his wife and two children.

The governor also condoled with the family of the late Bello Gandi of the Low-Cost area, who died at the age of 87, leaving behind two wives and eight children.

Other condolence visits paid by Governor Aliyu included that of the late Luba Ibrahim of Tudun Wada area, who died at the age of 72, leaving behind 13 children; the late Aminu Bello of Majemar Korino area, who passed away at the age of 51, leaving his wife; and the late Bashiru Ibrahim of Tudun Wada area, who died at the age of 49 and is survived by one wife and 10 children.

Special prayers were offered in all the homes the governor visited for the repose of the souls of the deceased.

Meanwhile, officers from the Kwara State Fire Service have recovered two corpses from a quarry lake at Opete, in Asa Local Council of the state.

The victims who reportedly drowned in the lake, were Fatai Abdulrahman,26, and Muhammed Awal, 27.

The spokesperson for the fire service, Hassan Adekunle, said the recovery operation occurred at about 5:08p.m. at the quarry lake.

“The incident involved two young men who drowned in a quarry lake. Upon arrival, firefighters conducted a recovery operation and successfully retrieved the bodies of the victims.

“The remains were handed over to Mallam Abdulfatahi for necessary arrangements,” he added.

The Director of the state fire service, Alabi Muhammed, expressed sympathy over the incident and advised the public to avoid swimming or engaging in activities in quarry lakes and other unsafe water locations, as they are often deep, unstable, and highly dangerous.

He urged communities to restrict access to such sites and report emergencies promptly to prevent the loss of lives.