A devastating fire outbreak on Monday night reduced over 200 shops to ashes at Ikom main market in the Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Chika Anya, the chairman overseeing operations at the market’s Lagos line, described the fire’s intensity as catastrophic. He said the outbreak had become a reoccurring issue almost every year in the market, and the state fire service was not forthcoming in providing swift interventions.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he said: “All we want now is support from the government to enable us to get our lives back.
”Government should also do the needful by having a functional fire service in Ikom and other council areas of the state,” Mr. Anya stated.
Some affected shop owners echoed a similar sentiment. Augustine Eze, who lost his means of livelihood to the outbreak, said he was confused about the cause of the tragic event because there was no electricity and overnight stays were prohibited in the market premises.
”This is not the first time we have had a fire issue in the market, and there has always been no assistance to quench the fire since the state fire service lacks the equipment to fight one here,” Mr Eze lamented. The market stakeholders advocated for government intervention and swift fire service provision.
State fire service director Peter Okorebi pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the fire’s origin but dismissed claims that the service was underequipped.
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