According to the traders, almost
every one of them had already stocked their shops preparatory for Christmas
sales. The major traders deal in building materials.
There are also food sellers, barbing
saloons, fashion designers, beer parlours, amongst others. Properties and wares
destroyed in the inferno had been placed at millions of naira.
When our correspondent got to the
scene, many traders were seen weeping. The fire, which started around 2 a.m. at
the Roadblock Junction opposite the popular Chicken Republic eatery, had been
attributed to power surge. The fire spread to other locked-up shops the area.
The traders claimed that the state
fire fighters arrived too late.
One of the traders, Paul Emmanuel,
said that no fewer than 15 shops were burnt down. He disclosed that goods lost
to the fire included tailoring materials, cosmetics, foodstuffs, among others.
Emmanuel described the fire as tragic, disclosing that many of them had already
stocked their shops ahead of the Yuletide.
His words: "I was called around
4 a.m., that fire had gutted my shops at Roadblock Junction. By the time I got
there, my shops and others had been razed. So many goods worth millions of
naira were lost. It’s sad, and Christmas is around the corner. We called the
fire service brigade office, but they didn't pick their call. We had to drive
down there to drag them to the scene.”
Another trader, Mrs. Abimbola
Adesanya, described the fire incident as unfortunate. Adesanya pleaded with the
government to assist the affected traders with financial assistance in recovery
of their business.
Adesanya further said: "We’re
begging Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to assist us, because our goods and
properties, worth millions of naira went up in flames. Just imagine, Christmas
is around the corner, and we have stocked our shops in preparation for
Christmas sales."
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