By Soji Ajibola, Justice Nwafor and Rukiyat Ogunwade
Again, traders at the popular Bodija plank market are in grief over an 18-hour inferno that left in its trail the destruction of materials worth millions of naira, and the injured recuperating at various hospitals in the locality.
The incident took place in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, reportedly started in the evening on Tuesday. This was not the first time an inferno had taken place at this market. It caught the traders unawares as they were unable to arrest the situation.
It was gathered that the situation had gotten out of hand before the affected traders informed the men of the Fire Services. This is according to the General Manager, Oyo State Fire Service, Mr Yemi Yinka.
According to him, “We got the hint of the incident very late, but our men put up their best at ensuring that the situation was effectively managed. Our men were at the scene of the incident till 2:30am on Wednesday.
“We cannot quantify the losses now, but no fewer than 30 shops are affected. The fire quickly spread from one shop to the other. Note the sensitivity of the planks to the fire.”
When the Nigerian Tribune visited the scene of the fire outbreak on Wednesday, business was at a very low ebb, especially at the affected section of the market. Traders wore gloomy faces and were seen discussing in groups. Some of the traders and a few children were seen picking some of the burnt planks.
On one side, partly burned planks were heaped, with their owners looking at the piles helplessly, ostensibly counting how much they would have made if the fire outbreak had not occurred.
The partially burnt wood materials were in categories, and they were separated thus: first, those that were burnt half of the entire length; second, those that got burnt less than half of their full length; third, those that were burnt more than half.
A trader who identified himself as Abdul said the fire started in the evening without anyone knowing the source.
“When the fire started, there was no light (power supply), and we were all shocked as to where it came from,” he said.
“It happened so fast that before we knew what was happening, people’s shops were already burning. It is devastating.”
Abdul said his brother’s shop was among the about 40 shops affected. “My brother’s shop is there,” he said, pointing to a number of charred wood pieces with brown zinc roofing sheets laying beside them. “He lost a lot of money.”
Estimates of the amount lost to the fire were still sketchy, given that some traders were still reeling from the shock of the incident. However, Abdul told the Nigerian Tribune that each of the traders affected lost at least N5 million. Some of the traders in the market owned wood materials estimated at up to N10 million, and some had up to three shops.
He told the Nigerian Tribune that the affected woods were separated (by their respective owners) to see if any money could be made from them.
Apart from these categories, there were lumps of ashes with smoke still oozing from them. In those lumps, millions of naira’s worth of wood had gone, and the affected traders watched helplessly. Abdul told the Nigerian Tribune that they were waiting for the ashes to cool off entirely so they could dispose of them, saying that the sight was a sad reminder of what they had lost.
Another victim who simply identified himself as Tunde said he had just come back from the market and was taking the stock when the tragedy struck.
He said the magnitude of the losses could not be quantified, “but our passionate appeal is for government to come to our aid.”
Nigerian Tribune visited one of the hospitals in Bodija, where one of the victims, AbdulWasiu, was receiving treatment for second degree burns.
He told the Nigerian Tribune that he was trying to quench the fire in his shop but he was trapped in the inferno. He said he would have died if not for the quick intervention of people who came to his rescue.
“I was trying to pour water through the roof to stop the fire, before entering the shop. The roof fell off and I was trapped inside the shop. There was no way to escape. I was just rolling on the floor and the fire was getting closer to me before people came to my rescue,” he said.
Another victim, Mutiu Olaoluwa who is a furniture maker said, “I was outside my shop when I suddenly heard about the fire. Before I knew it, the fire had spread to two shops. The fire started spreading faster and the flames covered everywhere. I couldn’t take anything out. Over 75 doors belonging to my customers were burnt. My planks worth N120,000 were also burnt.
“I lost over N5 million to the fire because all my equipment, generator and machines were burnt. All I have been labouring for the past 30 to 40 years was burnt.”
Also speaking, Adeniyi Ogunmola said, “I was here yesterday (Tuesday) around 4:30 pm. The fire started from a carpenter shop behind my shop. I went there to see what was going on. On my way back to my shop to carry my equipment, the fire had spread to my shop in less than five minutes.
“If not for people that carried me out of the fire, I would have been dead. I just came back from market where I loaded full trailer of planks. I lost about N6 million goods to the incident.”
In other parts of the market, the mood did not totally reflect that of the section that suffered the loss: motorcycles meandered through the densely populated market, and the usual chatter of traders and buyers reigned. The offensive ooze characteristic of the average market in Nigeria dominated the air, and sweat sneaked through tired and boisterous faces. It seemed the rest of the general Bodija market had moved on so quickly, but one thing was significant: nearly every trader in the market knew about the incident and could give a quick explanation of what happened.
The victims, however, called on government to come to their aid so as to save their businesses from total collapse as a result of debt incurred as a result of the inferno.
Government response
Before Nigerian Tribune arrived the scene on Wednesday, the Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, had visited to sympathise with traders who lost their properties in the fire outbreak.
The governor, who was accompanied by some top government functionaries to inspect the scene of the fire disaster and assess the level of damage, said that his administration would immediately release the sum of N25 million to cushion the effects of the inferno.
He noted that the palliative would provide immediate succour to the victims affected.
The governor equally told the affected traders that the Ibadan North Local Government Council would rehabilitate the inner roads in the Bodija Market.
Makinde in a post on Twitter wrote: “Earlier today, we visited Bodija Plank Market to inspect the level of damage caused by the fire incident yesterday. I commiserated with traders who lost goods and directed that an immediate palliative of N25 million be given to them. I also informed them that the Ibadan North Local Government Council would rehabilitate Bodija Market inner roads.”
