A fire incident has burnt 19 shops containing 1,900 bags of assorted grains at a market in Gombi, a major town 123 kilometres north of the state capital, Yola.
Speaking on the incident, the Secretary of the affected grains market union, Mallam Umar Nyalli, said an unknown smoker ignited the destructive fire by throwing a burning stick of cigarette at a heap of waste materials near the shops.
“The businesses of the 19 shop owners have been paralysed. Nothing could be retrieved of their wares,” Nyalli lamented.
Read Also: Babarians have taken over social media – Soyinka
According to him, “We lost bags of maize, groundnuts, guinea corn, sesame seeds, beans and tamarin fruits to the inferno.”
He appealed for help from governments at all levels and from public-spirited individuals.
The state Deputy Governor, Professor Kaletapwa George Farauta, who has gone to commiserate with the affected traders, said the losses were huge.
She, however, asked the traders to believe that God would revamp their businesses, and asked relevant authorities to enlighten citizens to shun improper handling of fire.
The Gombi incident was the second fire incident in the state in the last two weeks.
Recall a wildfire on the 6th of this month had destroyed wares in 10 shops near the Federal College of Education, Yola.