*Firefighters narrowly escapes lynching
…. Chairman of Market Condems Attack On Fire Service
Eric Olusesan/Port Harcourt
Property worth millions of naira was gutted by fire at Ojoto market located at Azikiwe/Ojoto roundabout Mile 2 Diobu Port Harcourt on Thursday night April 13, 2023.
It could not be ascertained because of the inferno because the market had already shut down for the day’s business.
Speaking on the incident, the Chairman of the market, Sir Arinze Akupue, in a telephone interview said he was in his house at about few minutes to 10pm when security personnel in the market called him that there is flame coming out of the market.
Mr Akupue said he called some people around the market to assist to quench the fire while he drove to the state fire service. He said at the state fire service they advised him to go to Federal Secretariat to inform the Federal fire Service that they in the state fire service cannot assist.
Mr Akupue disclosed that he drove to the Federal Secretariat where he inform the Federal fire service and their Commander approved immediately and they followed him to the scene.
The Chairman of the market explained that on getting to the scene, the market had burnt eight five percent of the shops and hoodlums attacked the personnel of the fire service in order to create a confusing atmosphere so they can loot properties.
Mr Akupue stated that it took intervention of the Azikiwe Divisional Police headqurters to rescue the personnel of fire service, while the fire completely razed the market.
He said over two hundred shops were burnt down with people not able to pick anything from their shops.
He revealed that three of his shops were gutted by the fire and he was not able to bring out anything.
He dismissed the insinuation that people cooking in the market was responsible for the fire while calling on state Government to come to their aid and provide succour to the victims of the incident.
Our Correspondent reports that consistently the Rivers State Fire Service has not been responding to fire disasters because of either faulty vehicles or underfunding.