No fewer than 86 shops belonging to Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) were on Monday evening razed by an early morning inferno.
The inferno which was said to have started at about 6.45pm destroyed goods estimated to worth billions of naira.
In an interview with newsmen, the acting chairperson of the association, Elkanah Ayuba, said the body lost its means of generating income.
Ayuba added that, 86 shops were seriously affected and that property worth billions of naira were destroyed.
“One of my POWA member called me to inform me about the the fire incident. I am in shock right now as I speak to you.
“We do not know the actual cause of the fire but we have reported to the police. After the investigation we will be able to establish the actual cause of the fire.
“It is too early to start calling for help, we have to go round and access the level of damage in the plaza and evaluate how much goods were lost to the inferno before soliciting for help from the government and Nigerians,” she stated.
She however sympathised with the shop owners as well as thanked God that no life was lost in the process.
An electronic dealer at the POWA plaza, Joseph Akpan said he left three of his children in the shop and went to work in town.
He explained that it was one of the shop owners at the plaza that rescue his children from the smoke that has already enveloped hs shop.
“I lost goods worth N5.6 million because I just stocked the shop last Friday.”
Another victim, Bose Ajayi, a tailor said the inferno destroyed her 5 sewing machines and people’s clothes. According to her, I closed early and just came now to open my shop but there is no shop to open.
” I am appealing to government and Nigerians to come and assist us. The destruction was massive and goods worth billions of naira were lost”, she added.
Onyeka Omenua, who repairs and sell generator sets explained that he had received a call alerting him of the fire but could not salvage any of his goods as all of them were burnt to ashes.
“More than 100 generators were affected. I feel so pained. I am just confused; I don’t know where to start from now.
“About 10 generators worth N250,000 and about 50 or 30 generators worth N1000,000. I am just jobless now but I thank God that I still have a handiwork.” he said.
When contacted the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Emeka Iheanacho who confirmed the incident said nobody could ascertain the cause of the fire
“But we did our best to mobilise and call the fire service, though before they came, the fire had done a great damage. People had lost so many goods and wares in their shops.
“Some alleged that it was some people stockpiled gas cylinders and, probably, it (inferno) could be as a result of the explosion of the gas. Some said it could be electrical fault that gutted the shop where they had the gas cylinders, which now escalated the fire.
“But those things are unconfirmed reports. It is this morning that the (police) command must have intensified investigation to know the cause of the fire incident. It is a great loss to the POWA”, he stated.
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