Onitsha fire incident: Group sympathises with victims, govt to provide relief

A pan-Igbo socio-cultural and political group, Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF), on Thursday, sympathised with the victims of the fire outbreak that occurred in Onitsha on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire, which occurred at Upper Iweka area of Onitsha, was reportedly caused by tanker explosion, leaving a woman, her child and three other persons dead and some buildings razed.

The President of NUF, Mr Augustine Chukwudum, said in a statement in Enugu that there was an urgent need for the federal government and Anambra government to provide relief materials to ameliorate the suffering of the victims.

Chukwudum specifically called on the state government to provide alternative homes for the homeless victims.

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“NUF wishes to sympathise with families and victims of the fire incident that occurred on Oct.

16 in Onitsha, Anambra State.

“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to visit the area where the incident occurred to see things for himself and also condole with those who lost their loved ones to the fire incident.

“All levels of government must take care of those who sustained injuries during the incident and also compensate those whose shops were burnt,’’ he said.

NAN learnt that scores of shops in the affected residential buildings, with goods worth millions of naira, were also destroyed by the inferno.

NAN