The Police in Kano has ruled out sabotage in the death of Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi who died along with his wife and daughters in a fire incident on Thursday.

Briefing reporters in his office, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris said preliminary investigation confirmed that Abdullahi and members of his family died out of suffocation arising from a fire, suspected to have emanated from electrical fault.

Idris dismissed insinuations that the INEC boss must have been assassinated, saying there was no trace of sabotage at the scene of the incident.

Reporters were escorted to the scene of the incident to verify the circumstances of the death.

According to Idris, “today (Friday) at about 4:30 a.m., the police men on guard duty at the official residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner Kano state, Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi located at No. 2 Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road, Nassarawa GRA, Kano, observed a fire emanating from split A/C in the sitting room.

“They make several attempt to get in touch with him including banging the doors and breaking some of the toilets windows but he was not responding. The police men and local guards broke the door leading to the sitting room, and discovered the sitting room was engulfed by fire and smoke.

“They then went to the side of the door leading to the masters bedroom, broke the door and entered; they were not inside the bed room and the Police then went to the bathroom, inside the master bedroom and found the REC, his wife and his two daughters unconscious on the floor.

“They quickly removed them to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital where the Doctor confirmed them dead. The Doctor confirmed the family dead from inhalation of hot and black smoke.

“Meanwhile, the detectives attached to SCID sealed the scene and together with the fire service men have commenced thorough investigation into the fire incident,” CP Idris stated.