Traders at the Kure Ultra-modern Market in Minna, the Niger State capital, started the new year started on a bad note. Fire gutted about 70 shops and burnt goods worth more than N700 million. JUSTINA ASISHANA reports
For traders of the Kure Ultra-modern Market in Minna, the new year started on a bad note. Fire gutted about 70 shops and burnt goods worth more than N700 million.
The inferno on the first Friday in the year was a rude shock to the traders at a time the market was just kicking up from the Christmas and New Year break. It was a black Friday, especially for traders of clothing materials, palm oil and groundnut oil.
Chima Sylvia Njokwu, a trader in female and children wears, shoes and bags whose two shops were affected, said he was just returning to Minna with his family after spending the Christmas in his village when he heard the news about the fire.
“I was on my way coming back after spending Christmas in the village when I heard the news of the fire. I was told all electricity has been out off and my mind was put to rest. After three hours, I received another call that my shop was burning. I fainted right away and was revived with water. I was the one driving, I could not drive again. The people around where I parked found someone to drive me down to Minna.”
Njokwu said he had goods worth over N10 million, including the money in his safebox. They all got burnt in the inferno.
He said in pidgin: “Pin dem no even fit commot from this shop; I am still dazed, still thinking it is a dream. I returned from abroad last year and my goods which I brought there arrived during Christmas and we have not even sold everything. Where will I start from?”
Njokwu asked for help from government and well-meaning individuals as he has family to feed and clothe.
Mrs. Samson Ezeagu, a trader in lace materials, wrappers and head ties, who also doubles as a tailor, lost goods worth N1.5 million to the fire.
“I was at home when my neighbour called me and told me that our line was burning but before I got here, nothing was remaining, I could not rescue any of my goods neither could I rescue either of my three machines or the clothes I collected from customers to sew.”
The inferno, The Nation learnt, began at 6 am on January 6 when a tea and noodles seller popularly cake ‘Mai Shayi’ left his stove on and went for an early morning prayers leaving the fire unattended to.
It took some hours before men of the fire service were able to contain the raging fire from consuming shops. Another part of the market was ignited at about 11 am. This started from a locked shop. It took additional two hours before the fire was put out.
The fire, which started from the line where palm oil was sold, extended to the clothing and cosmetic line. Many traders tried to rescue their goods from the fire while sympathisers were trying to console others affected and threatening to jump into the fire to rescue what was left in their shops.
Salisu Mohammed said he lost N60 million to the fire. He wondered how he would feed his family and pay his creditors.
“We lost a lot in this fire. I could not rescue anything from my shop but I know that that is the way God wants it this year. We need help. I have lost over N60 millon in this fire. I want help because I do not know how to go about it. I don’t know what the family will eat. I need help and nothing else.”
The Chairman of the Kure Market, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed, was one of the affected traders who lost the most to the inferno. Mohammed, who is one of the major dealers of palm oil and groundnut oil, said he had just brought in a trailer load of oil the night before the incident.
“I cannot say the quantum of the loss because I just received a trailer load of oil and there were a lot of gallons of oil in the shop before the order of trailer. My records books also got burnt in the shop and I have not yet settled down to take stock.
“The sad thing is that half of these goods were brought on credit; now we have to think of of how to pay back because there is no explanation we will give that the supplier will accept.”
He called on government to help the traders.
“We plead with government to assist us either in cash or kind because this is where we feed our families. Today, we have nothing because we could not rescue anything from the fire,” he said.
In 2016, fire gutted a part of the market containing 48 shops. Traders selling textiles, sewing materials and sewing machines were affected.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello described the incident as unfortunate, adding that the government would investigate the cause to militate against future occurrences.
He called on the traders, especially those wh cook inside the market, to be more cautious. He said the situatiion would be reviewed for possible palliative to cushion the effect of their losses.
“It will be a long time for the traders to recover but we will see what we can do to help them. The government will assist in the way it can to reduce the hardship and pains of the incident.” he said.
