BY Ebunoluwa Olafusi
Dozens of shops and property worth millions of naira were destroyed on Thursday night as fire razed the Maiduguri GSM market.
According to NAN, the fire started about 8:00 pm and lasted for several hours before it was extinguished by firefighters, security agents and members of the community.
The market, popularly called Kasuwar Jagol, is located at the post office area of the metropolis, providing business spaces to thousands of traders and artisans in the area.
Ambursa Pindar, the public relations officer of the Borno fire service who confirmed the incident, said the service deployed five firefighting vehicles to the scene to put out the fire.
Pindar said the service would conduct an assessment to ascertain the extent of the damage.
Abdulrahman Tahir, a witness, said the fire started in one of the shops and engulfed other shops in the market. Tahir who is a cell-phone vendor lamented that a number of traders lost their goods in the inferno.
Armed security personnel were deployed in the market to prevent hoodlums from looting.
Babagana Zulum, governor of the state, has directed Babagana Wakil, his chief of staff, along with five commissioners to visit the market and assess the level of damages for immediate intervention from the government.
Isa Gusau, special adviser to the governor on public relations and strategy, said the governor gave the directive from Saudi Arabia.
“The governor directed the chief of staff, government house, and five commissioners to assess the fire incident and report back today,” Gusau said.
“The commissioners whose ministries relate to commerce, home affairs, poverty alleviation, and job creation are to assess the damage, interact with respondents, victims and other relevant persons in order to generate immediate report required by the governor.
“The governor intends to study the report and take actions deemed necessary.”
He added that the governor “shares the pains of those whose means of livelihoods and assets were torched”.
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