Marketers in Baboko market popularly called Oja tuntun have called on the Kwara state government to create mini fire-fighting post in markets as goods worth millions of naira were gutted in the early hours of today in the market.
Our correspondent, Olarotimi Oshin who was at the scene of the incident said about fifty shops and thirty containers were burnt with traders crying bitterly. A power surge was said to have caused the fire when electricity was restored in the middle of the night.
While speaking on their hurdles, the chairman of the market, Alhaji Abdulrasaq Lasoju said government must provide mini firefighting posts for them considering the properties at stake and the market’s importance in economic development.
Lasoju who explained that fire service men mostly arrive late whenever there is fire outbreak, said they had previously written a letter requesting for the creation of a mini post all to no avail. He said the market will remain shut until the governor reach an agreement with them on how the mini fire service post would be established.
Some of the victims of the fire outbreak whose shops were burnt to ashes called on Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to come to their aid, because most of their goods were bought with the loan obtained from microfinance banks.
It took the arrival of fire fighters from Omu-aran to put off the fire as traders said fire service in Ilorin were reportedly handicapped due to lack of water and chemical.
The market men and women threatened not to pay their tax if their request is not given the required attention by the state government.
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