•Governor visits scene of inferno
OSUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has sympathised with victims of Sunday night’s market inferno, which ravaged the Atakumosa Main Market in Ilesa.
He assured the victims that his government would lessen the impact of their losses.
Aregbesola spoke when he visited the scene of the incident.
The governor described the “incident as painful, unfortunate and disastrous”, adding that his government would “do everything possible to put smiles on the faces of the victims who lost their valuables to the disaster.
He urged the victims to accept the unexpected incident in good faith and see it as the will of God.
Aregbesola promised that his government would do whatever it could to avert a recurrence.
“The state government would assist those who lost their property worth millions to the fire outbreak and as well expedite action to prevent recurrence by continuously making necessary provisions for natural disaster as we have been doing before,” he said.
The Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, in a chat with reporters, described the incident as “worrisome, disastrous and painful”.
The traditional ruler assured the victims of prompt assistance from “the good people of Ijesaland to relieve whatever damages and pains they might have experienced from the incident”.
The Babaloja of the market, Chief Adesiji Ogbara, who spoke on behalf of the victims, said he could not ascertain the amount of property lost.
“The cause of the inferno was unknown to anyone, but it is quite unfortunate that the inferno started sometimes around 6:00pm, when market women, men, sellers, buyers and other market users were almost gone to their various homes. The fire lasted till the next day,” he said.