How we lost our livelihoods to Gwarimpa inferno – Traders

Traders at the Tipper Garage Market on Third Avenue, Gwarimpa, Abuja, were about to retire home for the day at about midnight of last Thursday when shout of ‘fire!, fire! rented the tranquil air. The fire, said to have started around 1:30 am, razed the entire market.  The traders could salvage anything from the billion-naira-worth […]

Traders at the Tipper Garage Market on Third Avenue, Gwarimpa, Abuja, were about to retire home for the day at about midnight of last Thursday when shout of ‘fire!, fire! rented the tranquil air.

The fire, said to have started around 1:30 am, razed the entire market.  The traders could salvage anything from the billion-naira-worth goods  in the market.

The inferno, which is the third to engulf different markets in Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in three months, housed traders dealing in building materials, clothing, foodstuff and other assortment of goods which traders said they can’t put an estimate on.

When Aso Chronicle visited the market two days after the inferno, ashes flew past in the air from the rubble of goods hitherto stocked to be sold. The foundations were the only evidence that structures once stood in the place.

“We had more than 600 shops here, but they’ve all been razed by the inferno; none was spared. We pray to the almighty to reward us with something better,” said Malam Usman Abdullahi, chairman Tipper Garage Market Traders Association.

He added: “It’s only the almighty that knows the exact amount of loss, but we’re not talking of millions, rather let’s put the estimate at close to a billion naira.”

Labaran Suleiman, another trader, told Aso Chronicle that since the neighbourhood market was established 23 years ago, this is the first fire incident it is witnessing.

He said the fire started close to the entrance of the market and minutes later it had raged to a point that it could not be controlled.

“The fire started around 1:30 am because I slept by 1am and about 1:37, I heard people shouting ‘fire!’ and when I came out, I observed that the fire cannot be quenched due to its ferocity. I took the bag that contained some of my clothes and that was the only belonging of mine I rescued.”

Suleiman said his four shops and over 600 others were razed along with goods worth over N1 billion, adding that 99.9 per cent of those that relied on the market for their livelihood were youths.

“There is no kind of goods that are needed that cannot be found in his market; we sell foodstuff, fruits, clothing materials, electronics, building materials, medicines among others. It had four mosques that were also burnt.”

For Shuaibu Funtua, his two shops containing goods worth N1.5 million were razed in the inferno.

He said he was asleep when the cries of ‘fire!’ filtered into his ears but as the fire had blocked the only entry point into the market, he couldn’t  save any of his goods.

“The fire started at the entry point and no one could come in or go out. The market is walled so there was no way goods salvaged can be carried out. The fire was so much that it affected some houses (War College Estate) near it,” he said.

A hair stylist, Kate Nkaka, said when she got a distress call by 1:30 she rushed to the market but there was nothing she could salvage in her two shops as they were razed already.

“I live nearby. I was devastated with what I saw when I arrived. I bought goods worth N450,000 in the second week of January and with the goods I have before, my loss is huge,” she said.

Nazifi Salisu, who sold plastics and kitchen appliances, described how N2 million investment was lost in his presence which he tried to save but in vain.

“When the fire started, I ran to my shop to rescue some goods. But getting there, I was at first confused about what to carry because the items were many. As the fire was getting closer, I had to break a portion of the shop to remove some items but when the fire reached my shop and began to burn the goods, I had to leave to save my life.”

He added that the fire fighters who came tried their best but there was no access into the market so they instead put out the flames that affected War College Estate.

On what was the likely cause of the fire outbreak, Ibrahim Idris, chairman of the Panteka section, said only God knew because the woman whose shop the fire emanated from said she switched off all her electric appliances before closing for the day.

With the visitation of the FCT Minister of State, Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, when she hinted that the market needed to be redesigned to forestall future fire outbreaks, traders are apprehensive they may end up stranded.

They are, therefore, pleading with government to allow them to continue trading in the area as they have nowhere else to go.