From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed following a fire outbreak at the GSM Village around Kpata Market in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
It was gathered that the fire started in the early hours of Thursday due to a power surge.
Reports indicate that shop owners were unable to salvage anything as the fire quickly got out of control.
One of the traders in the market, Muhammed Yahaya, who lost his goods to the fire, narrated the incident: “Someone called me around 5:30 am today, informing me that the market was on fire. When I arrived, many shops had already been burnt down. We tried to determine the cause of the fire, and from what people nearby said, the power voltage was unusually high.
“The neighbouring houses reported that the surge affected their fans, lights, and other appliances. This is likely the cause of the fire. Millions of naira worth of goods have been destroyed—laptops, phones, and accessories were all burnt. The most unfortunate part is that many of us had just received new stock this week. It’s a big shock to all of us who own shops here.”
He appealed to the Kogi State Government to intervene by providing financial assistance to those who lost their goods and by rebuilding the GSM Village.
“We know we have a governor who listens. He is like a father to us. As you can see, we are young, resourceful people. Most of us are graduates, and we are not waiting for the government to provide jobs for us—we created jobs on our own.
“The properties we have nurtured for over 15 years were destroyed within an hour. We ask the government to assist us financially and help rebuild the market. In this market alone, there are about 200 youths engaged in this business. People were already struggling before this disaster,” he added.
Speaking on the incident, the Financial Secretary of the Kogi Association of Phones and Accessories Dealers (KAPAD), Moses Felix, described the impact the fire has had on him both physically and emotionally.
“I was crying this morning when my shop got burnt. I couldn’t do anything. I sell and repair laptops. All my goods, which arrived just this week, were completely destroyed. I’m starting from scratch,” he said.
“I’m a married man with children. Where do I go from here? How will I feed my family in this tough economy? We need the government’s help. We create jobs for people. I have three boys working for me who are now going home without jobs,” Felix lamented.
When our correspondent visited the scene at about 4 pm the fire has been put under control but the debris of the burnt items littered the place.
The police and government officials have however not made any statement over the incident as at the time of filing in this story.
