A business woman, Mrs Rabiatu Kingsley, on Saturday narrated how she lost goods worth over N11n to a fire incident that consumed three of her shops at Police Barracks Shops, Omolewa, Yemetu, Ibadan
Looking lost, her children held her tightly, consoling the distraught woman when The Nation visited the scene of the fire incident.
She recounted how fire ravaged her personal residence around the Yemetu Police station, forcing her to squat in a self contained apartment since late last year.
For her, it was a tale of double tragedy in quick succession
Rabiatu is a wife of a Police officer and runs three out of the about 15 shops destroyed by a midnight inferno.
She lamented goods worth several millions were destroyed in the inferno, making particular mention of a tailor who just procured an expensive machine worth over N7milion recently.
The tailor, it was gathered, worked all night to deliver on some jobs but could not save anything when the fire engulfed the building.
Only sheer benevolence saved him from being consumed.
She said: “My building had a fire last year. I have lost more than N11 million.
“I sell new shoes, school bags, handbags, shreds, needles. A lot of things. Ladies’ shoes. Ladies’ shoes. My shop is full of stuff. This shop is full of stuffs. Provision, salts, minerals. Then you see, fish, stock fish, curry and ingredients.
“That one (pointing at another shop), there are two deep freezers and this long freezer. All the three shops are full of different goods and items that I sell.”
When asked what is the next plan of action, she said “There is no means. I am praying to God to help me now. When I lost my house last year, it was worth over N20million.
“There was no help now. Inside the barracks I didn’t see any help. So if God wants to help me with this, He can do it now. I don’t have any problem. I am just hoping on God. I don’t have any other thing than God.
“My house got burnt on the 21st of February last year, it was by the Police barracks. I am a police wife living inside the barracks now. I didn’t see any help from anybody. There was no help.
“My association gave me only one mattress and N20,000 Naira. You know, we are just helping the organization to grow. So, according to them, they were hoping that maybe the government would do something. But we didn’t see any help from anywhere, till today.
“This baby was inside. Look at my neighbours now. This baby that went and saved this one. We do not even remember he was i side the house. I didn’t even have the memory of having this baby inside. We lost everything. All property. Now I am managing in a Self-contain apartment. And now fire burn my shops again, it’s just painful. But we thank God. All I understand is God knows everything.
“Only God will appeal for us now. Even when the local government came, we told them. We explained what happened. They answered us. Just like what you are asking, we said. So, if God says He wants to use them for us, fine.
“Anyway, my life is in God’s hands now. Nothing we can do. I don’t know. If God says He wants to help us, He can help us.”
