Properties worth millions of Naira was destroyed by fire at Ojoto Market located at Azikiwe/Ojoto roundabout Mile 2 Diobu Port Harcourt, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers State.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the cause of the inferno could not be ascertained as the market had already shut down for the day’s business activities when the incident occurred.
Speaking on the incident, the chairman of the market, Arinze Akupue, told journalists that security personnel attacked to the market and alerted him about the fire outbreak at about 10pm.
Akupue said he called some people around the market to assist to quench the fire while he drove to the state fire service to informed them.
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He said at state fire service they advised him to go to Federal Secretariat to inform the Federal fire service that they in the state fire service could not assist.
Mr. Akupue disclosed that he drove to the Federal Secretariat where he inform the Federal fire service and their Commander approved immediately and they followed him to the scene.
The chairman of the market explained that on getting to the scene, the market had burnt 85 percent of the property and hoodlums attacked the personnel of the fire service in order to create an unconducive atmosphere to loot people’s property.
Mr. Akupue stated that it took intervention of the Azikiwe Divisional Police headquarters to rescue the personnel of fire service while the fire completely razed the market.
He said over two 200 shops were burnt down, adding that traders could not to pick anything from their shops.
He revealed that three of his shops were gutted by the fire and he was not able to bring out anything.