Kebbi State Govt Constitute High Powered Committee To Unravel Cause Of Market Fire

The Kebbi State Government has setup a high powered committee comprising of commissioners, eminent politicians, civil servants, traditional rulers, business communities, security agents, fire-service and market officials to ascertain the cause of the recent fire outbreak which gutted the new central market in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital.

The committee has been empowered to recommend how best to re-open the market for commercial activities.

A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor; Abubakar Mu’azu Dakingari says the governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu announced this after inspecting the market when he visited to sympathise with the traders.

Gov. Bagudu directed members of the committee to chart possible ways to assist the affected persons and immediate relocation of traders to a temporary site.

The Governor said the state government would provide relief measures to all the victims to cushion the losses incurred from the inferno. He advised the traders to take solace in Allah as a pre-destined divine act.

Earlier, the commissioner of Lands and Housing, Alhaji Abubakar Chika Ladan (AC) told the governor that two thousand one hundred and seventy (2,170) temporary stalls and three hundred and twenty four permanent shops (324) were burnt based on an interim report. He said the fire started as a result of suspected gas explosion in one of the shops because there was no electricity in market.

The commissioner gave the assurance that security has been beefed up at the market for maximum protection.

Earlier, the divisional police officer, DPO, Birnin Kebbi division; Idris Mohammed told the governor that all necessary measured have been provided to guard against looting at the market.

Property worth hundreds of millions of naira were lost as a result of the outbreak which started at midnight this Friday and raged for several hours into the next day.