It was the Okada man beside him that spoke up. Responding to my question, he explained in rapid Hausa that it was some people hired by the Ministry of Environment to prevent illegal hawking by the roadside that were causing this scene, and that they were in the process of burning the goods they had seized from the hawkers. I sighed in wariness and thanked him and we were on our way again, not after I had taken a photo of the scenario and of course the fire.
