Traditional Medicine Market Gutted By Fire In Nsukka
A wing of the Ikpa Market where traditional medicine items are sold was gutted by fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The market is located in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
THE WHISTLER reports that the fire consumed twelve shops. Some of the victims told our correspondent that they lost millions of naira to the inferno.
A middle-aged man, who did not disclose his name, stated that, “The fire occurred when nobody was in the market. It occurred around 5am. My aunt’s two shops were affected. Nothing was rescued from them. This is terrible.
“She was among the traders that were displaced at Ogige Market in Nsukka when the state government began the construction of the Nsukka Bus Terminal.
“She lost her shops there; she struggled to raise funds to start business afresh at Ikpa Market. Everything is now gone, including the building. This is the worst moment of our life.”
Stella Iwu is also a victim. According to her, “We left the shops on Tuesday evening. Everything was intact. Whatever brought the fire here is what we don’t know.
“We don’t allow cooking whatsoever in the market. We don’t have electricity power supply in this market. How did this fire start? It is what we must find out. I hope it is not the work of some people who don’t want our progress.”
Another victim was heard crying that, “I obtained loan from a microfinance bank to start this business after we were chased out of Ogige Market. It would have been better not to start it than getting everything burnt by fire.”
The cause of the fire was not known as of the time of filing this report. According to one of the traders, John Edem, “There is no electricity supply to the market. So, no one can attribute it to power surge.
“The inferno affected only the shops of the traditional medicine ingredients dealers. They are in a better position to say what happened. And it started very early in the morning before traders came for business.”
Some of the items burnt were mystical items, idol worshipping pots, gongs, carved objects, animal sensitive parts, and other antiquities.
It was gathered that operatives of the Enugu State Fire Service put off the fire, and averted its escalation to other shops in the market.
Efforts to speak with the Chief Fire Officer of the state, Engr Okwudiri Ohaa, was not successful.
Traditional Medicine Market Gutted By Fire In Nsukka is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
