The dust raised by the recent major fire outbreak that ravaged a section of the popular Wuse International Market in Abuja metropolis, following a confrontation between the office of the Abuja Market Management Limited (AMML) and a 17-year -old hawker, one Yahaya Ibrahim, is yet to settle, as some distraught traders and owners of the affected shops are still finding it difficult to grapple with the impact of the inferno that consumed their source of livelihood and life’s investment , as well as their general wellbeing.
Some distraught traders who are still bemoaning the ill-fated fire disaster told LEADERSHIP Weekend on condition of anonymity, that contrary to reports that the affected section was set ablaze by angry youths protesting the shooting and killing of a 17 -year -old hawker who attempted to flee while being taken to court, their nightmare would have been prevented, if the police officers deployed to calm the initial uproar had embraced more safety -conscious measures.
The traders who described the fire that wrecked their once bustling shops in ruins as a targeted attack from several tear gas canisters insisted that some police officers who stood close the old extension where their shops are located hurled several teargas canisters at the block. ‘We just heard loud bangs of fired canisters in our shops. The white smoke blinded everyone, both protesters and bystanders.
They said immediately the canisters were fired, many shop owners and trapped customers with underlying diseases had worse impacts immediately, as they started complaining of chest tightness, coughing sensation, wheezing and shortness of breath.
The traders who have continued to count their loses, lamented that they have lost gold, bedspreads, curtains and other foreign goods worth over N1billion, said they still have flashes of how the explosions were heard in their shops. Explaining further that, as plumes of gas and smoke unfolded into the sky, protestors were desperately running from the scene, crying, coughing, choking, and screaming in agony as they frantically tried to catch their breath.
While they acknowledged that the hoodlums attacked vehicles belonging to the market management staff, the correctional Service and the police, the now frustrated traders who lamented that their shops were stocked from loans, have stressed that the hoodlums never cross their shops blaming the Police solely for the negative turn around in their lives.
Recall that the devastating fire that tore through the popular Wuse Market on Tuesday, destroyed at least 10 shops, operational vehicles and other property.
RELATED Wuse Market Shut After Riot, Fire Outbreak
Though several shops owners who narrowly escaped the tense inferno that ravaged part of the market following the intervention of the Fire Service and the Julius Berger Fire Saty intervention, are also lamenting that despite going on a daily basis to the now closed market to check whether the market has been reopened , to their chagrin, nothing has changed as only armed security operatives are seen stationed at all the entry and exit gates.
They also lamented that the failure by the Federal Capital Territory Authority and the market management to address the situation was also affecting them negatively as they are bound to lose. billions of naira
Recall that a section of the market was gutted by fire, causing a stampede as people were seen running to save both their lives and goods. to save their lives and property
An eyewitness, Isah Saidu, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend, ‘trouble started after the head of the market taskforce, popularly called Musa, ordered a warder to shoot at one Ibrahim Yahaya, a convict, who tried to escape arrest. He said, Ibrahim, a hawker, was arrested after violating the market regulations and made to face a mobile court where he was found guilty and was supposed to bail himself or be sent to prison.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford the fine he was to pay and so, attempted to escape despite being handcuffed. That was when Musa instructed a correctional officer to shoot at him. And sadly, on his orders, the poor hawker was killed, and his co-hawkers got infuriated and began protesting.
Immediately Ibrahim was pronounced dead, wheelbarrow pushers and other hawkers angrily descended on the market police station, setting fire to vehicles including Musa’s car and a bus belonging to the Nigeria Correctional Servic (NCoS).
“As the tension escalated, some tear gas canisters fired by some police officers to disperse the crowd allegedly landed in one of the shops, sparking the fire that ravaged several businesses estimated at over N1bn,” he said.
One of the affected traders, Mr. Nonso Obika, a who deals on foreign fabrics said that he lost good worth over N200million,
“The goods I lost in this fire is estimated to cost about N200m, only in my shop. ii am not talking about my neighbour that deals on travelling boxes. He lost goods wortalmost N300m, while the one selling bedsheet is over N200m.
“No hoodlums lit fire on our shops. I am an eyewitness to the incidence. During the crisis, we were parking our things when the angry wheelbarrow pushers and other traders went to the management office, they set the cars in from of the office ablaze.
“The Police arrived and started shooting teargas and live bullets periodically. So, the two teargases have packed, one fell here, and one fell in the other side, and others landed on the roof, that was what caused the fire,” he said.
He further explained that during the fire outbreak, there were no hoodlums around their shops. “Nobody came to disturb us in our shops when the crisis started, it was only the Police. We locked our shops and left following their instruction, before they started shooting the teargas and live bullets.”
Obika further appealed to the FCT minister, Chief Nyesom Wike to set up a committee that would investigate what truly happened so that those found wanting can be punished accordingly.
“Mostly, the head of the market taskforce, Musa. He should be made to answer why somebody should be shot and killed in the market. Another thing they should look into, is that it is the taskforce that is managing the market, it is not done anywhere.
“You do not bring anybody that does not know anything concerning business and market structure to come and become taskforce in the market. In other markets in Nigeria, the taskforce are the businessmen, and the understand how the market operates. Not that you will bring external body to become taskforce in the market,” he said.
Mr. Daniel Nwatu, also blamed the market taskforce for causing the crisis in the market, “ He queried how one would be arrested and later killed for just for titrating.
“They found the young man guilty and decided to take him to Suleja prison in handcuffs, that was when the young man decided to escape. On the process of running that was when the guy was shot and he died immediatel
He said that the fire started from his shop because the teargas canister landed inside the shop from the roof.
“The fire started from our shop because what we sell is bedsheets and cottons. Initially, people did not notice it, but when the smoke became thicker, that was when we saw it and started begging the Police to allow us into the market to open our shop before it become worse.
“We begged them for more than 30mins to go and rescue our goods, but the Police refused to allow us. When they saw that the fire had gone far, that was when they allowed us to go to our shops, but it was already too late, there was nothing we could do.
“As you can see, there is nothing that came out of the shop where the fire started. It affected nine other shops and destroyed people’s goods
Riots have been happening in this market, but the wheelbarrow pushers have never attacked any shop owners, rather they will be helping you pack your things to safety.
What we lost in this shop is more than N300m, we got new stocks on that Tuesday that the crisis started, only the new stock was gulped more than N100m
“We are not happy that the minister has not come to the market to see the damage done by the authority of the man. We had hope that he should have come to see the damages. We were not the ones that caused the problem, why should we be the ones to suffer it?” he said.
Attempt to speak to a market management staff proved abortive, as there was no management staff of Wuse Market on ground as of the time of filing this report, the chief security officer of the market who spoke based on anonymity, explained what led to the riot and fire outbreak.
However, the Police commissioner, FCT Police Command, Benedict Igweh, said that the correctional officer who shot and killed the offender in had since been arrested for interrogations.
LEADERSHIP Weekend, however gathered that the market.
has been reopened for business three days after it was shut down.
