Fire guts Niger market, destroys cash, goods worth millions

Fire, in the early hours of Sunday, burnt at least 48 shops at the popular Abdulkadir Abdullahi Kure Ultra Modern Market in Minna, Niger State, with properties worth millions of Naira, including cash, affected.
The incident, which occurred at around 1am, was blamed on the use of generators.
As at the time of the incident, there was no light from the public power agency in the state.
Some of the affected victims in an interview with our Correspondent expressed shock over the development, describing it as very unfortunate.
According to Anne Ogale of Shop 42, who could not control her tears, her husband is sick and this is where she feeds and sponsors their children to school.
Another shop owner, Alhaji Babale Abubakar of Shop 35/36, disclosed that they had earlier complained of lack of access roads in the case of such incident because “the fire service came but couldn’t do anything to save the situation”.
The single building contained 48 shops round the structure where majority of them sell textiles, sewing materials and sewing machines.
It was completely razed down.
Investigation revealed that most of the victims lost millions of naira in cash due to public holidays and weekend, because they could not go to the bank to do deposits within the period.
One of the affected victims, who lost about N40 million cash in foreign currency (dollars), simply identified as Alhaji Salisu of Shop 18, was said to have collapsed on his arrival at the market.
Salisu was rushed to an unidentified hospital for urgent attention.
But an eyewitness told our Correspondent that Salisu has changed the currency so as to travel to Togo between Sunday and Monday to purchase goods.
The victims interviewed appealed to the State Government and relevant agencies to, as a matter of urgency, come to their aid with the view of cushioning the effect on the affected in terms of renovation first and financial assistance to get back to their various businesses.
One of them said: “We are appealing to governments at every level and other relevant bodies to please assist us renovate the shops urgently before other assistance can be rendered so that we can start afresh because we lost everything.
“You can see it yourself.”
The Niger State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, had earlier visited the market to sympathize with the affected victims.
Ketso held a meeting with the Executive Committee of the market.
He equally tasked the National Emergency Management Agency and the Niger State Emergency Management Agency to take inventory of their loss with the view of coming to their aid soonest.
He directed them to compile the list and assess everything through Chanchaga Local Government Area to NSEMA to be forwarded to the state government immediately for appropriate action.
He urged the businessmen and women to take it in good faith, praying that such will not happen again.