80 stores destroyed in yet another Ogbe-Ijoh inferno

NOT fewer than 80 stores were, on Friday, razed by yet another inferno at Ogbe-Ijoh market in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The fire, which started at 11:00 p.m, destroyed goods worth millions of naira.

The ogbe-ijoh market is notorious for harbouring illegally refined crude petrol, diesel and kerosene which have been attributed for the ritual fire outbreak.

Tribune online reports that the portion engulfed by the inferno is known for fish smoking and trading on a daily basis, even as the reason behind the fire outbreak could not be ascertained.

Speaking on the incident, one Mrs Ebiere Akporiri, a trader affected by the incident, who spoke in pidgin, said: “this market fire don dey disturb us; wetin dey burn this market we nor know.”

“Around 11 for night, I receive call say my store dey burn oh; when I reach here everything burn finish; na fish I dey sell, everything finish, government nor dey help us, every year this market dey burn”, she said amid profuse tears.

Another victim, a trader, Doye Bestman, who resides within the market, lamented the ugly incident.

He blamed the community leaders and security personnel for their negligence of market environment.

“This market problem plenty well well, nor be only this market dey this Warri, every time Ogbe-Ijoh market dey burn, I dey house when I hear fire oh! fire oh! before people come dey try off the fire”

“The market police, and the community them dey do anyhow for this place, them nor dey do anything dey guard this market, the thing dey vex person.

“The fire how the thing dey come nobody know, every time na this market make government come help us, find the way to stop this market problem for here”

“The fire burn too dey much, security money we dey pay, them dey even brake store for this market and security dey oh! let them find the solution to stop the market fire, make the government do so because community nor dey do anything,” he decried.

Mrs Agnes Dobor, whose stores was also badly affected, said, “my fish, everything about N200,000 burn lost finish.”

“Every time market burn, nobody dey come help us, our things dey lost, wetin dey cause fire I nor know, me I dey smoke for my house, na sell I dey bring keep for the market, nobody dey help us, government nor dey talk put, every time problem of burn burning,” she lamented.

Tribune online gathered that no help came the way of the affected traders when the fire raged at about midnight o’ Friday.