By Daniel Tyokua
A fire outbreak has destroyed several shops and goods worth millions of naira at the Kugbo Furniture Market in Abuja.
The inferno, which occurred on Friday morning, affected a section of the market where traders sell woods, foams, boards and furniture accessories.
The Chairman of Kugbo Wood Machinist Association, Mr Godswill Ndukwe, who confirmed the incident, said the fire started before most traders arrived to open their shops.
Ndukwe said the exact cause of the fire was yet to be established, adding that goods worth millions of naira were destroyed.
He lamented the recurring fire outbreaks in the market and appealed to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to take urgent measures to prevent further incidents.
He said, “The fire outbreak this morning is terrible. The fire started when most of the shops were not opened.
“The affected section houses foams, woods, local and foreign boards and furniture accessories.
“We are yet to know the cause of the fire, but goods worth five hundred million were burnt.
“We are appealing to AMAC and the FCT Administration to do something. We have had several of these incidents, and officials will come and make promises, but nothing happens afterwards. Please, let the government help us.”
Another trader, Okechukwu Chilke, who deals in different types of boards, declined to comment, apparently overwhelmed by the loss, as he watched helplessly over the remains of his shop.
Efforts to obtain comments from the FCT Fire Service and other relevant government agencies were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
