By Patrick Idowu
Traders at Kugbo Furniture Market in Abuja have appealed for government assistance after a fire destroyed over 15 shops and adjoining homes on Sunday morning.
The inferno, which reportedly began around 9:00 a.m. behind a primary school, gutted furniture workshops stocked with goods and equipment worth ملايين of naira.
Coordinator of the affected traders, Mr. Mike Omo-youzou, said the market was closed at the time as traders do not operate on Sundays. He alleged delayed response by the fire service worsened the damage.
“We called the fire service, but they said they needed authorization before acting. By the time approval came, everything had been razed,” he said.
Omo-youzou ruled out an electrical fault, noting there was no power supply at the time. He suggested cooking activities by youths sleeping in one of the shops may have sparked the fire, adding that flammable materials such as foam, varnish and wood fueled the blaze.
He said he lost goods worth N5.2 million, while other traders recorded losses exceeding N8.2 million.
The Women Leader of Kugbo, Marvelous Okezie, urged authorities to assist victims and train residents on emergency response.
Residents, including Mr. Andrew Ayue and landlords’ chairman Williams Ayaruja, blamed the scale of destruction on the conversion of residential plots into makeshift workshops and weak enforcement of development regulations.
Chief of Igbos in Kugbo, Sunday Ejekam, confirmed no lives were lost but said properties worth millions were destroyed.
Officials of the FCT Fire Service declined comment, saying they were not authorized to speak to the press.
