Early morning inferno razes Yola market
By; Tina Phineas, Yola.
An early morning inferno on Monday morning razed down Yola market destroying properties worth billions of Naira.
The inferno which was the worst ever to engulf the market was believed to have consumed about 90 percent of shops in the market.
The fire which according to eyewitnesses started at about 2:30 am went out of control as initial efforts to put it out was stymied by lack of access roads in the market.
A shop owner Mallam Babayola Maijimilla whose shop was also razed down said “the fire started around the middle of the market, efforts by early symphatizers to extinguish it was rebuffed by security operatives who denied them access into the market for fear of looting.
But the situation did not get better even upon the arrival of fire fighters who find it difficult to gain access to the point of the inferno as the market did not have access roads.
Some of the affected shop owners interviewed said they lost everything they toiled for in life to the fire incident calling on the government to come to their aid.
Chairman Adamawa Traders Association popularly called Gamzaki Traders Association in Adamawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammad (86) appealed to Federal, State and Local Governments to come to their aid saying that they lost 90 percent of their shops to the inferno.
Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Martins Babale who was among the early callers at the market said the government will assess the extent of damage with a view to knowing the level of intervention it will give.
Babale called on National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), corporate organizations and wealthy individuals to come to the aid of the marketers with a view to cushioning their sufferings.
Similarly, the Speaker Adamawa State House of Assembly, Kabir Mijinyawa in whose constituency the market is situated called on the marketers to be patient as the government assesses the level of damage wrought on the market.
He urged them to see the incident as an act of God just as he promised to do everything in his capacity to ensure that the marketers get succor from the government.
While commenting on the issue, Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Ghazzali Mohammed said he has deployed a number of policemen to provide security and prevent hoodlums from looting properties, noting that the effort have yielded results as a number of looters have been arrested.
The Executive Secretary Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ASEMA), Haruna Hammanfuro said the fire incident was the worst of its kind in the history of the market.
He said they were yet to quantify the extent of damage done to properties although no life was lost.
