Properties worth over one billion naira were Tuesday
night destroyed at the popular Kuto market in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital,
western Nigeria.
There was a fire outbreak in a part of the market
where about 20 shops were burnt to ashes.
Hundreds of bags of rice, plastics, beverages,
garri, yam flour are among the items burnt to ashes.
When our correspondent visited the market, traders
and sympathisers were seen weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth over
the incident.
The cause of the fire could not be ascertained at
the time of this report.
Some of the traders whose shops were burnt include
Ireti Yusuf, Ronke Ojo, Wasilat Adeosun, Folake Agbaje, Femi Idowu among
others.
Speaking with our correspondent, one of the affected
traders who simply identified himself as Sola narrated how the incident
happened.
According to him,”I received a call around 10:58pm
(on Tuesday) that the market is burning and our shops are among those affected.
“I left my house at Ilogbo immediately in the singlet and boxer pant I was wearing and when I got to the market, I became helpless as I could not do anything to salvage the situation.
“Many people were around to assist us. It is a sad experience. The shops belong to Mama Azeez, a.k.a. Omojoyibo. We delivered about 400 bags of rice to the shop on Sunday and yesterday (Monday) again, another 150 bags were delivered in the shop.
“Now, we have lost all the 550 bags of rice. Owners of shops beside us also went to buy goods yesterday (Monday) for the Christmas festival. Like the plastic seller, she loaded two shops and another woman beside her who is selling pots, stoves and other household utensils had a full stock of goods in her shops.
“As I’m speaking with you, three of the shop owners here have been taken to various hospitals over the shock and right now, we don’t know their condition.
“Three trucks of water were here from the fire service station, but they could not stop the fire as it wreaked a lot of havoc.”
The Caretaker Chairman of Abeokuta South Local
Government, Comrade Olusola Ekundayo, who visited the market to assess the
situation told P.M.NEWS that investigation will be conducted to ascertain the
cause of the incident and see how to assist the traders.
“It happened just last night and we are here today to assess the situation. I can’t say anything about the cause for now. We will investigate the matter and then know the next line of action,” Ekundayo said.
Also speaking with our correspondent, the Iyaloja of
Kuto market, Chief Isiwatu Adewuyi expressed shock over the incident and called
on the government to assist the victims recoup their losses during this festive
period.
The DPO Ibara Police Command, Moses Aduroja, led his
men to the market to see things by himself.
The police took records of the damaged items with
pictures of the incident while names of the affected traders were taken.
They asked the affected traders to report at the
station for further interrogation on the matter.
At the time of this report, people from evert part
of Abeokuta were still trooping to the market to see the extent of damage
caused by the inferno.
Meanwhile, another market in the town, Iberekodo
market in the Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state was also
Tuesday gutted by fire
Items worth over N500,000 were reportedly destroyed.
Sources:
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