By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Nigeria’s longest trading hub in the .North East, the Borno Monday Market in Maiduguri, was today razed down in an early fire inferno.
The fire incident which was said to have started at about 2 am spread to different parts of the market, destroying many shops and property worth billions of Naira.
The 35-year-old Monday Market is the largest trading hub in the North East, with Hundreds of shops and warehouses which were said to be affected by the inferno.
Following the early morning fire disaster, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq moved to console the Borno market traders over the fire incident.
The Minister expressed sadness this the fire incident which engulfed the 35-year-old Maidugwas unfortunate and a great economic loss to the nation.
She said, “We received the sad news early this morning of the fire disaster which engulfed the biggest market in Maiduguri. We understand that goods and shops worth billions of Naira have been destroyed by the raging fire.”
“This is a great loss to the country’s economy, especially Borno state, which is just beginning to recover from the destruction and losses as a result of insurgency and banditry. “
“We sympathize with the state government and people of Borno state, especially the traders whose livelihoods have gone up in flames following the fire incident.”
The Minister has directed the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA Search and Rescue operations to help salvage and to ascertain the level of damage and loss at the Monday Market.
