Shop owners cry for help as fire destroys shopping complex in Osogbo

Shop owners at the Nigeria postal service shopping complex razed by inferno late Saturday evening have urged the state government to assist cushion their loss due to the fire outbreak.

This is as fire destroyed properties worth millions of naira in the infernor at the shopping complex which was learnt was due to a blast from one of the shop.

A late evening fire incident on had razed about ten shops located within the shopping complex around 6pm but was prevented from spreading to the NIPOST office by fire fighters.

Speaking with journalists at the scene of the incident on Sunday, the Iyaloja of the state, Chief Awawu Asindemade said the unfortunate incident would unleash difficulty on shop owners except the state government intervenes to cushion the effect of the loss on their businesses.

“The extent of the fire had shown that goods worth millions of naira had been razed by the infernor, a loss which is likely to ruin the life of victims, except the state government comes to their rescue”, she said.

One of the victims, Olojo Titi, who sells clothes said she was on her way to Ilesa when she was called that the complex was on fire, saying unfortunately, she just stocked new goods recently and was yet to make any sale before the incident.

The goods in my shop is worth N980,000 and all of it perish in the fire outbreak. My neighbour shop, called Mama Malik, her shop is worth over N20million and as you can see, there is nothing that can be salvaged in the complex. Another shop owner landed in the hospital when she got the news, although she is responding to treatment but could barely walk”, she added.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Federal fire service in the state, Basiri Adijat said the incident was reported to the agency around 7pm and personnels were dispatched to the scene.

However, hoodlums unleashing terror on the state about the same time prevented them from putting out the fire on time.

“We deployed our men to the scene but the hoodlums that were on the rampage in Osogbo did not allow them to perform there duties at the scene”, she said.