WHAT!? Fire Razes 300 Shops, Vehicles In Ibadan Again
*300 shops, 50 sawing machines destroyed || *Govt raises investigative panel
For the second time in three days, residents wept and wailed as the Sango plank market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, was razed by an early morning inferno.
Over 300 shops, goods worth Billions, 50 sawing machines and three vehicles were destroyed. Unlike the Christmas Day disaster, which affected mostly plank sellers, the sawing machines section was badly hit in the latest one. They lost about 100 machines.
Sources said the fire was first noticed at midnight on Monday. Some people were allegedly sighted moving round the burnt areas suspiciously.
The fire later spread to other parts of the sawing machines section.
According to The Nation, efforts by traders and others, who were alerted through the Alaro Central Mosque public address system, to put out the fire failed.
The sources said traders and police tried in vain to reach the State Fire Service.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said the government would raise a panel to investigate the fires. Tension is mounting in the plank market, as many believed that some people might have intentionally burnt the market to avenge last Friday’s incident.
Addressing reporters, Governor Ajimobi, who was represented, said: “We are here to examine the extent of damage and to know the causes of the incident. That is the one that happened on Friday and the other that occurred early yesterday.
“We will not tolerate this kind of situation; arson is not what we must allow in any community within the state. This government holds preservation of life and property dearly.
“This is a state where everybody has the right to live and trade within the limit of the constitution. Security operatives have been put on the red alert to guard the market to prevent further losses.”
The Chairman of the market association, Oladipo Faseyitan, said the first incident was caused by a gas explosion from a nearby building. The second, he claimed, could have been caused by a group of people, who claimed to be the land owners.
According to The Nation, efforts by traders and others, who were alerted through the Alaro Central Mosque public address system, to put out the fire failed.
The sources said traders and police tried in vain to reach the State Fire Service.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said the government would raise a panel to investigate the fires. Tension is mounting in the plank market, as many believed that some people might have intentionally burnt the market to avenge last Friday’s incident.
Addressing reporters, Governor Ajimobi, who was represented, said: “We are here to examine the extent of damage and to know the causes of the incident. That is the one that happened on Friday and the other that occurred early yesterday.
“We will not tolerate this kind of situation; arson is not what we must allow in any community within the state. This government holds preservation of life and property dearly.
“This is a state where everybody has the right to live and trade within the limit of the constitution. Security operatives have been put on the red alert to guard the market to prevent further losses.”
The Chairman of the market association, Oladipo Faseyitan, said the first incident was caused by a gas explosion from a nearby building. The second, he claimed, could have been caused by a group of people, who claimed to be the land owners.
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