Tobias Sylvester
Several shops with goods worth millions of naira have been destroyed in a fire incident that razed down an entire complex at Maiduguri Monday Market in Borno State.
![Goods Worth Millions Of Naira Destroyed In Maiduguri Monday Market [Video]](https://media.kanyidaily.com/2023/02/26142841/Maiduguri-Market-fire-2.jpg "Goods Worth Millions Of Naira Destroyed In Maiduguri Monday Market [Video] 1")
It was gathered that the fire started around 2 am on Sunday and spread to different parts of the market, destroying many shops and properties worth millions of naira.
Sources familiar with the incident said the fire started at midnight when residents of the city, who had spent most of their day voting in Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, had retired to bed.
When newsmen visited the market, hundreds of traders were scampering off with whatever wares they could save from their shops to avoid losing everything in case the fire spreads.
“I lost everything in my five shops,” Abubakar Isa, dealer of second-hand clothes told Punch tearfully, adding, “I cannot immediately estimate the cost of my losses, but I can tell you that it is over N30 million.”
Musa Sulaiman had two shops of home decoration items such as rugs and suitcases.
“The two shops were all razed down, and I lost everything,” he told our correspondent in a guttural tone, estimating the cost of his losses at “nothing less than N50 million.”
Alhaji Modu Kijimi lost his two shops of empty sacks. He was too emotionally devastated to estimate the cost of his losses.
Alhaji Sani Idris Hausari, a major livestock dealer who has five shops of live chickens, guineafowl, and pigeons said he lost all his birds. He could not estimate the cost of his losses.
“Livestock sellers have lost about 20 shops with hundreds of birds,” he confirmed.
When The PUNCH went around the market, tens of security agents, mainly soldiers and police, had been deployed to guard the market against the perilous infestation of looters.
Teargas was intermittently sprayed to scare away the crowd of people flooding into the still-burning market intending to loot properties.
Speaking to our reporter, a youth in the area confirmed, “Soon after the fire flared up, criminals began to trickle into the market, looting shops.
“I can tell you that hundreds of millions of naira worth of properties have already been looted.”
Borno Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum visited the scene of the inferno on Sunday morning but was pelted with stones by angry youths and traders despite the tight security attached to him.
The angry youths pulled down posters of the state governor and politicians while screaming “Ba muso, bamuso” (we don’t want, we don’t want).
The police rapid response squad and the military shot into the air to disperse the angry crowd while also throwing teargas.
Zulum also announced N1 billion relief for the victims, promising to see President Muhammadu Buhari immediately for more relief and also urged humanitarian organisations to relieve the victims.
Watch the video below:
https://twitter.com/YaxsyMand/status/1629721647891505154?s=20
BREAKING: Monday Market, the largest in Maiduguri, Borno state capital currently on fire. Property worth hundreds of millions of Naira risks destruction. pic.twitter.com/Mruy7uR8Ys
— NTA News (@NTANewsNow) February 26, 2023
The Monday Market in Maiduguri predominantly owed by Igbos have been set on fire. 26 February 2023 pic.twitter.com/EmvWfXInwv
— Odogwu (@odowgu) February 26, 2023
https://twitter.com/LAYOR21/status/1629809673984524288?s=20
ON MAIDUGURI MONDAY MARKET FIRE DISASTER
It is most unfortunate that we witness this sad incident it's a monumental disaster that cause an unquantifiable lost to the traders in particular, Borno state and Nigeria at large. pic.twitter.com/wGNjdjFbSM
— Zagazola (@ZagazOlaMakama) February 26, 2023
Firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out at the Maiduguri Monday Market in Maiduguri on February 26, 2023.
(Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP) pic.twitter.com/coKW37VXiW
— Channels Television (@channelstv) February 26, 2023
KanyiDaily had also reported that Boko Haram terrorists fired a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG), targeting a polling unit in Gwoza local government area of Borno state.
