Tony Osauzo, Benin
The sight of his razed shop by a midnight inferno that gutted the popular Santana Market along Sapele Road, Benin City, sent a middle-aged man to an untimely death.
The trader whose identity could not be ascertained, at press time, reportedly came to the market to resume business, yesterday, morning oblivious of the fire the previous night.
He reportedly collapsed and died upon seeing the whole shops burnt.
No fewer than 300 shops and goods worth millions of naira were destroyed.
It was learnt that it took the effort of fire fighters from the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to put out the fire.
All efforts to reach the state fire service to find out why they did not respond to the distress calls put across to them was not successful.
Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Dr. Eric Osayande, was at the market, yesterday, to assess the extent of damage.
He assured the traders that government would investigate the cause of the fire, which he said was the first in the history of the market.
He promised that the local government would approach the state government because the damage was not something the council could solve alone.
Mr. Monday Ogbeide, a resident around the Santana market, said the fire started at about 11pm on Saturday.
“We just saw the market burning and we do not know the cause of the fire. All effort to put out the fire was not successful because of the intensity of the fire.
“When we got here, we called fire service but up till now they did not respond,” he said.
Ogbeide, however, blamed the fire on power surge that might have occurred in one of the shops when power was restored at night.
Mrs. Justina Amadasun, wept, saying that it was her only means of livelihood.
Mrs. Blessing Ayo, another shop owner, who sells food items, said she lost bags of rice, cartons of chicken and deep freezers, including cash.
“Nobody should come and tell me it was power surge because for three days, we did not have light in the market.
“I am calling on government to come to our aid because this market is where we get our daily bread.
“Some of us are single mothers, we take care of our children from the money we make here.
“Government should come and help us now, it is not only when it comes to elections that they remember us. We need them now,” Ayo said.
Barely two months ago, a similar midnight fire burnt over 90 shops at the motor spare parts market, Uwelu, Egor Local Government Area.