By Cross Udo and Nathaniel Zaccheaus Abuja, with Agency reports
Firefighters yesterday continued to struggle to contain the fire that engulfed Maiduguri Monday Market, which started at about 1 a.m. yesterday.
As of 10:30 a.m., only three fire trucks were on hand to battle the inferno which had consumed most of the market.
Some angry traders who started vandalizing public property in protest of the slow response of firefighters were however pacified by Gov. Babagana Zulum and security agents.
The protesting traders vandalized many vehicles, and attacked and injured people, including a female journalist working with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Some of the affected structures consumed by the fire included essential commodities shops, boutiques, poultry, and second-hand materials shops, among others.
Hundreds of the affected traders were seen struggling and collecting what remained of their property in the rubble, while some were watching helplessly as the fire continued to ravage more structures.
One of the traders, Ibrahim Babagana, said the fire gutted the market from different angles, resulting in the destruction of many shops. “This is my shop, I lost everything,” he said, pointing to smoldering goods.
Another trader, Bukar Goni, who deals in fabrics, said he could not salvage anything in his two shops. “I lost goods with over N150 million to the fire,” he added.
The Commissioner of Police, Abdu Umar, said security agents had been deployed in the area to prevent looting by hoodlums who may want to take advantage of the situation.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday directed effective coordination and collaboration between federal and state agencies to bring needed relief to the victims.
President Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu called for vigilance as winds and rising temperatures increase the risks of fires in forests, homes, public buildings and markets.
The President, who expressed grief over the destruction caused by the early morning fire yesterday, said the nation’s prayers and condolences are with the hardworking traders and their families who have reportedly saved very little or nothing from the fire.
He commended the immediate response of Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum to the incident and directed effective coordination and collaboration between federal and state agencies to bring needed relief to those who are affected.
The President urged the state and federal agencies responsible for fire management to strive towards higher levels of preparedness, mitigation efforts and strengthening their response mechanisms to deal with the increasing menace of market and other fire disasters.
Meanwhile, Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has announced a relief package of N1 billion for victims of Maiduguri Monday Market fire incident.
Zulum, who announced the support in a broadcast after visiting the market, said the support was to provide urgent assistance to victims pending assessment of the damage caused by the incident.
“We woke up today with a very sad and unfortunate fire disaster at the Maiduguri Monday market. This is very unfortunate, but we believe that this is decreed by Allah.
“I feel deeply pained by this incident and I know how painful it is for anyone to work hard over the years to build his or her business but end up losing that investment in seconds.
“I really feel the pains of everyone affected by this incident. I commiserate with all of you,” Zulum said.
He also announced the setting up of a committee that would include representatives of the victims, to speedily assess the damages and compile comprehensive list of those affected and their loses.
“I am going to see Mr President and seek for presidential intervention on how to get support for victims. We will also reach out to other humanitarian establishments to seek help.
“We will be taking firm measures towards preventing re-occurrence of this fire disaster,” Zulum added.
Also, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan yesterday, expressed sympathy with the victims. Lawan, in a statement by his media aide, Ola Awoniyi, urged shop and property owners who must have suffered unquantifiable loss to the fire incident, to take heart.
He also commiserated with the state and the people of Borno over the unfortunate incident and expressed the belief that the appropriate authorities would find out the cause of the incident with a view to preventing a recurrence.
