Fire Razes 160 Shops In Army Barracks

Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in the early hours of Sunday as fire razed 160 shops at the new Mammy Market inside the Ikeja Military Cantonment, Lagos, South-West Nigeria.

Sources told P.M.NEWS that the fire started in one of the shops at about 1 a.m. on Sunday and raged on till 4 a.m., destroying 160 other shops.

The fire and safety services officials of the Lagos State were contacted but there was no response from them.

To worsen the situation, our sources said there was no water inside the barracks in the Ikeja Military Cantonment.

It was gathered that when help finally came from the Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, it was too late as all the 160 shops had been completely razed.

Security men and other officials at the market declined to talk to P.M.NEWS on the incident.

However, one of the victims, Lady Toyin, a wine and beer seller in the market told our correspondent that she lost over N250,000 to the inferno.

Sobbing, Lady Toyin said: “I went to the market to purchase beer worth over N20,000 on Thursday. I usually keep the proceeds of my wine sale inside my shop. Household items like fans, clothings and others were also consumed by the fire.”

Another trader simply known as Andrew, a phisically changed man  who deals in fabric was reported to have lost all the fabric he collected during the week from his clients.

His loss was estimated at N300,000.

When P.M.NEWS visited the market this morning, one of the victims, Madam Lucy, who sells a drinks colleagues was seen trying to retrieve some clothing and other household items that were not completely burnt.

Similarly, a victim whose name could not be ascertained was seen wailing and sobbing. She could not talk at all. Some of her co-traders claimed she lives inside the market and that she lost all her certificates to the fire.

A furniture maker, who did not disclose his name, said he lost property worth N75,000 aside 40 fully grown fowls which he bred beside his carpenter’s workshop inside the market.

According to Mayowa, an electronics dealer, at least N3 million was lost to the fire as he could not salvage any of the television sets, VCD/DVD players and similar stocks in his shop.

—Oluwatunmise Ige