The Minister of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Malam Muhammad Bello has sympathised with victims of karmo fire incident over lost of goods and property worth millions of Naira.
Bello expressed Government’s feeling when he led a delegation on sympathy visit to the market in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister while addressing the affected traders said FCTA and the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA) are going to sit to see what immediate help they can provide to cushion the effect of the incident.
“The entire FCT administration is here to express our sympathy for the fire incident. I want to use the opportunity to thank all the relevant agencies for their prompt response.
“This administration has been considering an upgrade of the market and it would in such a way that even if there is fire, it would only affect a small area where the fire started,” he stated.
Malam Abdullahi Candido, the Chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), described the incident as unfortunate and assured them of the Council’s readiness to solicit palliative measures for them.
He said that AMAC was committed to partnering with the FCTA on the upgrade of the informal market and others markets within the Council.
Sarkin Jiwa, Idris Musa attributed high degree of loss incurred by the traders to the poor nature of the market.
He, however, called on the government to offer assistance to the affected traders to cope with the situation.
According to the Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Department, Mr Idriss Abbass, he received a distress call around 1a.m informing him of the fire outbreak in the market.
“ Fire service operatives were alerted and immediately mobilised to put out the raging inferno, adding that the Department called out law enforcement agencies to the scene, to avoid looting
He, however, failed to disclose the cause of the fire, saying the priority was to contain the fire from spreading further into other areas.
The fierce fire on Wednesday gutted and destroyed goods and property worth millions of Naira at the popular community market in Karmo, a densely populated suburb area of Abuja, FCT.
It was gathered that the fire, which broke at a about 1 o’clock early Thursday morning, razed a whole section of the informal market, destroying shops and variety of goods stored therein.
Eyewitness said that it took the timely intervention of emergency response team from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria Fire Service, and other security agencies to stop the fire from spreading to residential houses in the area.
