Owode market in Offa, Kawara State has been razed by fire in the early hours of Tuesday, destroying goods worth millions of naira.
Goods, especially foodstuff, charcoal and second-hand clothes were lost to the inferno.
A video of the incident captured the moment some of the shop owners were mourning as they watched their properties razed by the fire.
“This fire is too much. This is not caused by NEPA. Maybe some people were cooking and the fire started from there because it was too much,” one of the traders said in the video.
A source from the town said personnel of the Federal Fire Service and Kwara State Fire Service eventually put out the fire.
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Market women said about 46 stalls were affected. They want government to provide them with initial palliative before rebuilding the stalls.
“The authorities are still assessing the situation, but personally, I know at least five shops were affected. The worth of goods and properties destroyed can’t be said now until the assessment finishes.
“There are also several claims as to the cause of the fire until we wait for the fire service to release their statement on it,” the source said.
The Iyaloja-General Offa, Idiat Jumoke, commended the Fire Service for putting out the fire on time before it could escalate to other sections of the market.
the Chairman of the Offa Local Government Area of the state, Jare Olatundun, blamed some families for making it difficult to build modern market, claiming ownership of certain section of the market.
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