Some hoodlums in Minna, Niger State’s capital, attempted to block firefighters from extinguishing an inferno that destroyed a section of the Tunga market.
It was gathered that the incident occurred days after the state governor, Mohammed Bago, paid an unscheduled visit to the market to inspect the ongoing road construction.
He had issued a 30-day ultimatum to traders operating near the construction site of the road and had even pledged to pay shops whose property would be damaged during the visit.
Some of the affected businessmen lost millions of naira in goods, including foam mattresses and home equipment, in addition to their workshops, which were destroyed by the fire.
According to reports, the fire started at about 2:30 pm, almost opposite the Newsline Newspaper headquarters, the state-owned media outfit.
The inferno, which was aided by the dry wind of the harmattan season, was also adjacent to the Sterling Bank and Ostrich Bakery, among others.
However, the efforts by some good Samaritans to put out the fire proved abortive as the harmattan gale aided the fire to spread fiercely and rapidly from one shop to the other.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the raging pandemonium and melee, street urchins, also known as area boys, hoodlums, and miscreants, were spotted gathering about the burning shop fire, looting stuff in the chaos.
When state fire service personnel arrived at the scene of the inferno after meandering through the pockets of obstruction and obstacle mounted by the street urchins via alternative routes, the area boys and hoodlums made sure that they were not allowed to fix their pipes and water hose into the water tanks to put out the fire.
The hoodlums began pelting the officials with stones and other deadly weapons.
The hoodlums reportedly pelted stones at the fire service personnel when they discovered that the officials were going to prevent them from looting items from the scene of the fire outbreak.
It took the dexterity of the fire service truck drivers to manoeuvre into the nearby premises of the commercial banks to save the trucks from being badly damaged.
It also required the quick intervention of some mobile police officers stationed at the bank, who dispersed the neighbourhood lads, preventing them from looting the burnt shops and adjacent buildings.
Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, the Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, denounced the area boys’ actions during the event and stated that security forces would not tolerate such criminal activity.
One of the store owners, Emeka Nwachukwu, told reporters that he had lost his entire life’s earnings as well as all of his work tools. He appealed to kindhearted people to come to his rescue.
“I don’t know what to say. All my properties are gone. I don’t know where to start. I am calling on Nigerians to help me. Even some foodstuffs I bought for this Christmas were burnt in the fire,” Nwachukwu lamented.
Meanwhile, Niger State governor Mohammed Bago has commiserated with shopkeepers who lost their stores and other goods in the fire and told them that the government will help them.
In a statement issued by his chief press secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, the governor characterised the tragedy as a painful and trying period for the victims, expressing his solidarity with them during their time of loss.
Bago urged the victims to seek solace in God, promising them that He would bless them in ways that outweighed the losses they had suffered in the fire.
“My government hereby is in solidarity with the traders who lost their wares in this fire outbreak. Let them find comfort in God. My government will ensure that the victims will be helped,” he said.
The statement also underlined the increasing frequency of fire events in the state, particularly in Minna, and urged relevant agencies to strengthen awareness programs aimed at preventing or mitigating such disasters.
“This is the harmattan season, and there are likely to be incidents of fire disasters, particularly in Minna. The relevant agencies should intensify the awareness and campaign to prevent these occurrences to minimise the disasters,” he said.
The governor informed the victims that the government will provide assistance through its appropriate agencies to help mitigate the effects of the catastrophe.
