It was tragedy for traders at the Kuto market, Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday as the market was gutted by fire. The traders lost goods worth millions of Naira to the inferno which started at 10pm. Major victims of the fire disaster were sellers of food items such as garri, rice, yam flour , among others. However, the situation was put under control by the intervention of firemen.
A trader, simply identified as Sola, said that he received a call around 10:58pm that the market was burning and his shop was among those affected. “I left my house at Ilogbo in my underwear (sic) and when I got to the market, I could not do anything to salvage the situation. It was a sad experience,” he lamented. Sola added that one Mama Azeez, also known as Omojoyibo, lost 550 bags of rice to the inferno.
“Now, we have lost 550 bags. Shop owners beside us bought goods on Monday. The plastic seller loaded two shops and another woman beside her selling pots, stoves and other household utensils had a full stock of goods in her shops. As I’m speaking with you, three of the shop owners have been taken to hospitals for shock and right now, we don’t know their condition. Three trucks of water came from the fire station, but they could not put out the fire on time,” he said.
The Iyaloja of Kuto Market, Isiwatu Adewuyi, appealed to the government to assist the victims. The Ibara Divisional Police Officer, Moses Aduroja, who led a team to the market, sympathised with the victims and advised them to take an inventory of goods and property destroyed.
By Dike Onwuamaeze