By NWOGHA NDUBUISI ANDY, Abakaliki
Fire which its source is yet to be known on Saturday destroyed six shops at no.10 Covent Road in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
AUTHENTIC News Daily learnt that the incident started around 10:30pm when most of the shop owners had closed businesses and gone to their various homes.
An eyewitness account, Mr.Jerry Mbam, patent medicine dealer, narrated that he was in his shop when his customer alerted him of the development.
According to Mr. Mbam, he quickly rushed outside but to his greatest shock only discovered that the extreme shop was already engulfed by fire.
He explained that the mysterious fire was a shock as the incident could not be traced to a known cause, noting that all the shop owners were perplexed by the sudden misfortune which consumed valuables that worth millions worth of valuables.
“I was in my shop when my customer raised alarm that the extreme shop was on fire. I rushed to see that the fire which it’s cause can not be traced had damaged a lot of things.
“I am appealing to government and other good spirited individuals to come to our aid. The shop was my only source of Livelihood and over one million naira worth of goods were already in the shop before my recent stock of over four hundred thousand naira drugs two days before the incident.
On her account, a hair stylist who also is a victim,Miss Nwifuru Rejoice said she lost all her goods among dryer, washing machine,stretcher and other valuables to the fire.
She bemoaned that all her savings that worth hundreds of naira which were invested into the business against the christmas season was trapped in the shop too during the incident.
Another victim, Mrs.Chijindu Frank, provision shop and confectionery operator said that she was already in her home when the distress call came demanding her urgent attention at the shop.
She hinted that there was no light when the incident occurred and appealed to Ebonyi State government through the office of Emergency Management Agency and other good spirited individuals to come for their assistance as nothing was saved from their shops due to the time of the incident coupled with the fact that men of Nigeria Fire Service were faced with scarcity of water in the course of putting off the fire.
