Over N22 million lost at Aba Shopping Complex fire
By Ijendu Iheaka
November 8, 2016
A mid afternoon fire on Sunday razed down two big shops with goods containing over 22 million at the Ekeoha market also known as the Aba Shopping Complex.
The burnt shops located at Zone 11 of the complex housed new and fairly used television sets and Video Players, foreign upholstery seats and tables.
In one of the shops dealing on electronic products belonging to Chibuike Igwe, only debris and contorted television boxes were visible with few of them untouched by the fire.
However, the other shop owned by Sunny Onuh which was stocked full with upholstery seats, tables and accessories had nothing left to retrieve except rusty steel frames.
Onuh recounting the disaster said “I had some little goods in that shop until Saturday. However, I took delivery of much larger quantity of goods which I packed into the shop on Saturday.
“Then after Church service on Sunday, I got several calls telling me that the Shopping Centre was on fire. When I ran down here, I saw that my shop was involved.
“I asked what happened and was told that one woman called “Prapra”, who sells food in that area, came to the market on Sunday to cook meat.
“She was allowed by security men to enter to boil meat she would sell on Monday. After putting the meat on fire, she left for her house and before she could return, the place had been burnt down”, he said.
Onuh said that the fire was so fiery that when he came to his shop at the complex, about 1 pm, all he did was to join others to douse it and save other shops from burning down.
He said that even when the Aba Fire Service personnel came, the fire had little life left which they helped to quench finally.
Igwe on his part could hardly contain the pain of his loss saying “I do not know how to start telling my story on this loss of my properties and others left in my care by my customers”.
He wondered how the fire came into the shops since the market was disconnected on Saturday evenings to avoid fire from electric sparks and businesses are prohibited there on Sundays.
“I was returning from a journey when I got calls telling me of the fire incident but when I reached here, what I saw overwhelmed me. I must tell you that my spirit is yet to return to Aba since Sunday”, he said.
Igwe said that he lost over N1.5 million in the inferno while Onuh said his own losses were over N20 million.
Both men asked for the help and the support of the government and well-meaning Nigerians to stabilize and be able to feed their families again.
Efforts by our reporter to speak with the market authorities met brick wall as the Chief Security Officer, Mr Louis Nwogwugwu referred him to the Abia State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Chief Henry Ikoh for details of the accident.
When contacted the Police PRO, Ogbonnaya Nta said he was not aware of the accident but asked to be called back toenable him get the details.
However, several calls put to his phone later were not responded to.
By Ijendu Iheaka
November 8, 2016
A mid afternoon fire on Sunday razed down two big shops with goods containing over 22 million at the Ekeoha market also known as the Aba Shopping Complex.
The burnt shops located at Zone 11 of the complex housed new and fairly used television sets and Video Players, foreign upholstery seats and tables.
In one of the shops dealing on electronic products belonging to Chibuike Igwe, only debris and contorted television boxes were visible with few of them untouched by the fire.
However, the other shop owned by Sunny Onuh which was stocked full with upholstery seats, tables and accessories had nothing left to retrieve except rusty steel frames.
Onuh recounting the disaster said “I had some little goods in that shop until Saturday. However, I took delivery of much larger quantity of goods which I packed into the shop on Saturday.
“Then after Church service on Sunday, I got several calls telling me that the Shopping Centre was on fire. When I ran down here, I saw that my shop was involved.
“I asked what happened and was told that one woman called “Prapra”, who sells food in that area, came to the market on Sunday to cook meat.
“She was allowed by security men to enter to boil meat she would sell on Monday. After putting the meat on fire, she left for her house and before she could return, the place had been burnt down”, he said.
Onuh said that the fire was so fiery that when he came to his shop at the complex, about 1 pm, all he did was to join others to douse it and save other shops from burning down.
He said that even when the Aba Fire Service personnel came, the fire had little life left which they helped to quench finally.
Igwe on his part could hardly contain the pain of his loss saying “I do not know how to start telling my story on this loss of my properties and others left in my care by my customers”.
He wondered how the fire came into the shops since the market was disconnected on Saturday evenings to avoid fire from electric sparks and businesses are prohibited there on Sundays.
“I was returning from a journey when I got calls telling me of the fire incident but when I reached here, what I saw overwhelmed me. I must tell you that my spirit is yet to return to Aba since Sunday”, he said.
Igwe said that he lost over N1.5 million in the inferno while Onuh said his own losses were over N20 million.
Both men asked for the help and the support of the government and well-meaning Nigerians to stabilize and be able to feed their families again.
Efforts by our reporter to speak with the market authorities met brick wall as the Chief Security Officer, Mr Louis Nwogwugwu referred him to the Abia State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Chief Henry Ikoh for details of the accident.
When contacted the Police PRO, Ogbonnaya Nta said he was not aware of the accident but asked to be called back toenable him get the details.
However, several calls put to his phone later were not responded to.
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