By Christopher Oji
Fire gutted the popular Olowu Automobile Spare Parts Market, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday morning.
This fire incident is coming few days after a fire outbreak occurred at the Balogun Market and a few weeks after the Akere Market, Apapa, was razed.
Although no life was lost and no one injured in the inferno, the traders are suspecting foul play, saying that the fire incidents have become one too many. The fire disaster, which was reported to have started at about 2.30am, affected 13 shops, four warehouses and one restaurant.
The Commandant, 9th Brigade, Ikeja, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) team, the Police, Fire Service and other emergency responders were on the ground to put out the fire and make sure it didn’t escalate to other areas.
The cause of the fire could not be determined at the time of filing this report, but chairman of the traders association, Mr. Bassey Ikpendu, who applauded the efforts of the state fire service for preventing the escalation of the incident, said
One of their apprentices slept in the building and noticed the fire, but by the time he got out, the fire had engulfed the building, and he immediately contacted the fire service who responded promptly.
Spokesman of NEMA, South West Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed that no injury or death was recorded in the fire outbreak. However, the traders lamented the incessant fire attacks at Igbo dominated markets and called on the Lagos State government to wade into the matter.
Magnus Madukaife said: “We are still under attack because of the last general elections. If you check out the trajectory of fire incidents affecting markets owned by the Igbo, you will agree with me that they were not natural disasters, but man made. After the Akere market, it was the turn of Balogun, and now it’s Olowu. Some people somewhere have decided to punish Ndigbo by burning their shops.”
Madukaife called on Governor Babajide-Sanwo-Olu and the state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, to wade into the matter and stop the wanton destruction of people’s property, stressing, “see the magnitude of what the evil people have destroyed.”