An eyewitness, simply identified as Ankeli, said about Wednesday’s inferno, “Around 6am, we noticed fire in the market and it spread so fast due to the dry weather.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, George Alli, said the timely intervention of the personnel of the Benue State Fire Service prevented the fire from spreading to other sections of the market. The chairman, who said it was too early to determine the worth of property destroyed by the inferno, expressed sadness over the incident.
“We lost about 64 shops. The market is actually choked and we are trying to see how we can put access roads in the market. We are urging the traders’ association to cooperate with the local government on this.