Crowd at Kano market fire

A trader has lost N300million cash in the inferno that destroyed Kano’s Sabon Gari market, overnight on Saturday.

Traders and shop owners at the burnt Sabon Gari market in Kano estimated losses at over  N2 trillion, in goods and cash.

Uwaisu Ali Baba, who sells shoes, said his three shops had been burnt. He said: “Blocks A, B, C, D, L were burnt and goods worth billions of naira destroyed.”

He said approximately over 18,000 traders were affected by the disaster.

“Concerning the estimate of cash lost, I cannot do that because many people have lost cash. I know somebody who lost over N300m,” he stated.

Another victim, Isma’ila Sani, said he lost over N15m. “I was not able to remove even a pair of shoes,” adding, “my brothers also lost about N7m in the disaster.

‘We have left everything to God. But to be honest with you we have to start from the scratch. We have lost both goods and cash.”

Over 3,800 shops were burnt in the inferno, described as the worst market fire disaster in Nigeria, with  chairman of Sabon Gari Market traders’ association, Alhaji Nafi’u Nuhu Indabo saying  over 75 per cent of the market was burnt down.

“Many traders lost both goods and cash in the fire. Only God knows what we actually lost to the fire, but sincerely speaking traders have lost a fortune.”

The chairman Sabon-Gari United Traders Association, Alhaji Alin Bagadaza said: “It is too early for us to make assessment, but losses were huge.”

He said the executives of the union had met with Governor Ganduje who had agreed to their request that victims be allowed clear the rubble from their shops and to continue with business.

He said the government had provided them with 60 tippers and 12 loaders and other heavy equipment to evacuate the debris.

*From reports by Daily Trust