TRADERS at the Kugbo Furniture Market in Abuja were left counting their losses on Friday after a fire destroyed several shops and goods estimated at more than N500 million.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Friday, ravaged part of the market where traders deal in wood, foam, boards and furniture accessories.
Chairman of the Kugbo Wood Machinist Association, Mr Godswill Ndukwe, who confirmed the incident, said the fire started before most traders arrived at the market to open their shops.
Ndukwe said the cause of the outbreak had yet to be established, while lamenting the repeated occurrence of fire incidents in the market.
He appealed to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to intervene and put measures in place to prevent a recurrence.
He said, “The fire outbreak this morning is terrible. The fire started when most of the shops were not open.
“The affected section houses foams, wood, 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 speak on the incident, appearing overwhelmed by the extent of his loss as he watched 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.
