Fire destroys 22 shops in Katsina

Three days after fire gutted Bakori Market in Katsina State, and destroyed 22 shops, a similar incident occurred at Funtua Market, also in the state on Monday and destroyed property and goods worth millions of naira.


PUNCH METRO gathered that the Bakori Market incident occurred on Friday midnight.


In the incident, the section housing the car spare parts and vegetable oil were mainly affected with property worth millions of naira lost by the victims.


As at the time of filing in this report, the cause of the inferno could not be ascertained.


The victims were seen counting their losses while sympathisers were consoling them on Monday.


Bakori Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Aminu Bakori, described the incident as an act of God.


The chairman, while briefing the state Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, said that the market was the main source of the council’s revenue.


In his response, Shema sympathised with the victims and announced N5m donation to the victims and ordered immediate reconstruction of the market.


The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the fire, which gutted Funtua Market, started around 1:00am and lasted for about nine hours.


It was, however, put out by the combined efforts of personnel from the state fire service, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as residents.


A NAN correspondent, who was at the scene, reports that almost one third of the market was affected by the fire.


Items destroyed included food stuff, electronics, fertiliser, textile materials, drugs and cosmetics.


Addressing newsmen after inspecting the affected portions, chairman, Funtua LG, Alhaji Muntari Maska, said the cause of the fire had not yet been ascertained.