Kano fish market inferno: Traders recount loses

Over three hundred and fifty million naira (N350m) worth of fish and other goods have been consumed in an inferno that occurred at Kano fish market in the metropolis last weekend. The fire also burnt undisclosed amount of money during the incident.  Kano Chronicle gathered that not less than twenty-two containers and many shops stocked […]

Over three hundred and fifty million naira (N350m) worth of fish and other goods have been consumed in an inferno that occurred at Kano fish market in the metropolis last weekend.

The fire also burnt undisclosed amount of money during the incident. 

Kano Chronicle gathered that not less than twenty-two containers and many shops stocked with ice fish products were burnt down completely in the disaster that lasted for hours on Saturday night.

The incident occurred around 8pm after most of the traders have closed for the day.

According to sources the fire started from an electrical spark in one of the shops and later escalated to the entire market, destroying properties worth millions of naira.

When our reporter visited the scene earlier this week what used to be the popular Kano fish market has been reduced to rubbles with about ninety percent of structures, mainly containers, being razed down to ashes.

As some of the traders were struggling to clear up their premises our reporter observed loads of damaged fish, worth millions of naira, being evacuated from the rubrics for onward destruction.

Chairman Kano Fish Cooperative, Mr. Shola Majek  lamented over the damage incurred saying more than 2000 persons transacting businesses at the market lost their means of livelihood and had to start from the scratch.

“Well, we thank God that no life was lost, but the damage we incur as a result of this fire is unimaginable. We lost properties amounting to over N350m. Apart from the containers and other equipment some of us lost cash too, there was a shop where N2.5m got burnt. Most of us are in a serious trauma because all we have acquired for years have just gone in twinkle of an eye, it is very unfortunate incident,’’ he lamented.

Mr. Majek, who lost two containers of fish products worth over N25 million to the inferno, appealed to the government to come to their aid so as to re-establish their businesses.

“Recuperating is the big challenge we have at the moment, without assistance there is nothing we can do because we cannot go to our customers in Lagos, or in Port Harcourt and ask them to please give us fish on credit, they won’t listen to us that’s why we want government to assist us so that we can recover back,’’ Majek pleaded.

Alhaji Jubrin Maikifi another victim of the disaster said for over eighteen years no such incident happened in the market where over 2000 traders source their means of livelihood.

Maikifi, whose two containers were consumed by the fire, said the incident happened the very night he received supply of stock.

“This is a very unfortunate incident but we are grateful to God since no life was lost. If you to look at what was lost I must say since I started this business here we have never witness this kind of experience. Personally, I lost two containers fully stocked. In fact the day the incident occurred was the very day we off loaded one and half trailer of fish products into the containers valued over N25m’’ He said.

He however expressed concern over the attitudes of the fire service department in times of emergency alleging that for over 45 minutes, when the fire started razing in the market, the operatives of the service had not shown up until when the damage has already been done.

‘’I learnt that when the incident started one of our sales boys here rushed to fire service’s office and reported the matter but to our amazement it took them over 45 minutes before they came, so you can imagine what the razing fire, being aided by gas from refrigerating devices, could do in 45 minutes. Even at that when they came they also complained that there was no chemical in their water that I think explained why the rate of the damage was this severe’’ he explained.

Mallam Bashir Hussaini Isah described the experience after the disaster as very traumatic.

‘’Everything we have toiled for over the years has gone and we have to start all over again. I have one container with two shops all consumed in the inferno and what I intend to do is to look for a small place and start again just to maintain customers until this place is rebuilt’’ he said.

Since this incident Kano Chronicle observed an unimaginable decline in the supply chain of fish to households in the city as some of the small scale retailers of the product blamed the scarcity of the product on the fire disaster that engulfed the fish market last Saturday.

Yau Abu Badawa a fish retailer said he has been in the market for over five hours on Monday from 8am to 1:30pm but could not get even a catton of the fish.

He said ‘’on normal day I do buy 5 cartons but for the past two days since this disaster to get one carton has been very problematic.