How N500m goods perished in Jalingo market fire …Hoodlums obstruct firemen

Alhaji Adamu Lamido Gora, chairman of the traders association, told our correspondent in Jalingo that the fire which started around 1:00 am at night, could have been sparked off by electric power surge. He said at least 22 shops were burnt down at the front row of the market while about five other shops were […]

Alhaji Adamu Lamido Gora, chairman of the traders association, told our correspondent in Jalingo that the fire which started around 1:00 am at night, could have been sparked off by electric power surge.

He said at least 22 shops were burnt down at the front row of the market while about five other shops were looted by hoodlums who swooped on the shops immediately the market caught fire.

He estimated the loss the traders incurred from the fire incident and from looters at over N500 million.

He said the fire would not have consumed as many shops as it did because the Fire Service responded promptly but they were chased away by hoodlums who took advantage of the fire to loot some of the shops.

According to him, textile materials, flour, rice, cosmetics, groceries, drugs, mobile phones and accessories were consumed by the fire and or carted away by the hoodlums who stoned the police and fire service.

Alhaji Abdulkadir Aliyu’s shop was not burnt but he lost everything to looters. He said he sells mobile phones and accessories in a shop at the front row of the market just close to where the fire started and while the night fire raged, hoodlums plundered everything in his shop.

“I lost everything in my shop to hoodlums who had a field day looting nearby shops while the fire was raging. I was told the fire service and the police were completely overwhelmed by the hoodlums,” he said.

The Chairman of the traders appealed to the state government to provide the fire victims with succour and also asked for an independent transformer to be installed at the market so that the traders will only put on the electricity from 7 am till 5 pm to avoid night fire incidents which are more disastrous.

Alhaji Gora also appealed to the government to create jobs so as to curb the menace of hooliganism in Taraba. He said it is idleness that has made some youths to exhibit criminal tendencies.

“The only way to solve this kind of problem is for the government to create jobs for the teeming youths. No gainfully employed youth will come out at midnight just to loot other peoples’ property,” Gora said.

Director of Fire Service, Taraba State, Mr Yakubu T. Giwa, confirmed the incident. He said when firefighters arrived the scene, only one shop was burning and the fire wouldn’t have been so disastrous if his men had been allowed to do their job.

“I was told that when our firefighters arrived the scene ready to put off the fire, they were stoned and chased away by a large group of urchins. They had to run to the police for security and by the time they came back, about 20 shops had already been razed down,” Giwa said.

He said the windscreen of the firefighting vehicle was smashed and lamented that the fire service always come up against hoodlums anytime there is fire incident around Jalingo metropolis. He recalled that in 2008, one of his firefighters was wounded in the head by hoodlums while trying to quench fire that broke out at the Mechanic Village in Jalingo.

“I wonder why the public would want to see us as enemies and not as friends. Our job is to save properties from being consumed by fire as well as to save lives, so we shouldn’t be targets for attacks,” he added.

He said experience has shown that most fire incidents are caused by electricity spark and advised the public to always employ the services of qualified electricians to wire their houses and business premises.

Efforts to get officials of  the Power Holding Company (PHCN) to comment failed as the Public Relations Officer of the company was on leave and the Business Manager was not available when our correspondent called at the office in Jalingo. However, an official who said he was not permitted to speak to the press and would not want to be mentioned, said the market officials had written to the PHCN to disconnect electricity from the market and that was done so the cause of the fire could not have been electricity.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Taraba State Police Command, ASP. Mbasekei Mbeh, confirmed that miscreants used undue advantage to loot some of the shops but added that the police acted swiftly to put the situation under control. He said the police division around the market has intensified patrol of the market and is calling on the public to avail the police with information to nab the looters. He said already some arrests have been made in connection with the looting and assured that more arrests will be made if the public volunteer more information to the police.

While assessing the damage caused by the fire Monday morning, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Nubalga Dan Habu, said after the assessment, he will submit the report to the state government for necessary assistance to the victims of the fire, adding that there was “a lot of rationale” behind the request for an independent transformer.

Meanwhile, the legislator representing Jalingo II constituency, Mr Aminu Umar, said he has sponsored a motion to move the market to a new site where it will be more secure. He said the main market as it is now, cannot contain the influx of traders coming in and going out.

He said the best thing to do is to relocate the market to a new site, adding that consultations are going on to ensure that once the pending litigation between the state government and the contractor who constructed a new market is over, traders will be relocated.

The administration of Rev. Jolly Nyame built an ultra-modern market with provisions for a police station, fire service station and all the necessary facilities that a modern market needs to have but the chairman of the traders said they will not move to the new market even if they are asked to. He said the location of the market is in the bush and they will not be making much money as they have been making in the old market.

“We don’t want the new market because it is in the bush. We will lose our customers if we move there so this is the market we want. If government is going to do anything about the market, let it be done here,” he said.