From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
An early morning inferno on Sunday consumed an estimated N191 million worth of property at Kara Market, Birnin Kebbi.
The Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida, who visited the scene for a damage assessment, donated ten million naira to the victims.
Officials of the Ministry of Lands, Kebbi State, confirmed that over nine shops housing wood and timber were destroyed by the fire, with an estimated N191.7 million worth of property lost in the early morning blaze.
Sources at the scene of the incident disclosed that, “We suspect electricity as the cause of the fire because of the on and off of the light which KEDCO is giving out.”
Speaking briefly to newsmen at the scene, the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida, announced a donation of ten million naira.
He said, “This is a first aid from us before we come up with something huge to mitigate your losses; please take it as an act of God.”
Tafida cautioned owners of the shops to take precautions to guard against future occurrences.
“We are here to sympathise with you over the incident on behalf of the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Nasir Idris, who is away on pilgrimage, but what we have given you now is a temporary assistance to mitigate your losses,” he said.