On Sunday, March 5, residents of three communities became victims of a huge inferno that consumed their livestock and the livelihoods. ADAMU AMADU visited the affected areas and reports on the state of affairs of the victims.
A mysterious fire has razed three neighbouring communities in Jigawa State. The fire started at Malamawa, moved to Karangiya and terminated at Kwalele villages all in Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state.
The fire disaster destroyed all the villagers’ houses, and farms and stored food items. In addition, over 300 sheep, goats and an unknown number of chickens were lost to the fire.
Speaking to Nigerian Tribune, a victim of the fire incident, who gave his name as Malam Suleman Abdul’aziz, said the fire occurred on Sunday at around 11:40 am when most of them (the men) were at their trades and businesses, while some were in the market.
Abdul’aziz added that “nobody knows the cause of the fire. It began outside the town beside the road where there are no residents.”
According to him, “All our farm product this year, domestic animals and materials have been lost to the fire. All our wives and children’s clothes were burnt by the fire.
“You can see me and most of us we were left with only the clothes on our bodies. Because the fire was mysterious. It came all of a sudden and it spread like the wind. All the rooms of three to five houses went into flames at the same time. When our attention was on a particular side, we would see the fire jump to other places. It was very terrible!
He added that “the fire was on for more than two hours before the firefighters from the fire service and Dutse International Airport from the capital city, a distance of over 40 kilometres arrived.”
The victims have called on the federal, state and local governments to establish an internally displaced people’s camp. According to them, they are exposed to harsh weather, mosquitoes and other harmful insects in the area.
Also speaking to Nigerian Tribune, the village head of Karangiya, Malam Saleh Usman said the people in the villages had lost all their farm produce. “As you can see, all our local silos and stores where we kept our food and cash crops have been burnt.”
According to him “We cannot quantify the loss. Hundreds of sheep and goats were burnt. The animals were not in the field because of an irrigation exercise. We are not releasing our animals. So much property was lost to fire in these villages.”
He said the people of his community, especially children and women, are in a dangerous situation because there is no shelter for them.
Usman called on both state and federal governments, and organisations to support them in order to have relief from their losses.
One Abdulrahman Abdullahi, an 83-year-old father of 15 who lost his house and all his belongings lamented, saying “We are sitting down outside our houses. There is no shelter for us. Everything has been burnt. I am only left with the clothes I am wearing now. Please help come to our rescue.”
Another victim, a widow, Hafsat Abdullahi, aged 59 years old, from Malamawa said she lost everything and was also left with only the clothes on her body.
“We are managing life now, we don’t have anywhere to go because this is our ancestral village. There is no other village that I have now,” she said.
Hafsat maintained that her farm product, such as hibiscus, millet, maize, sesame, and her house properties were completely burnt.
She called on the relevant authorities to come to their rescue by providing necessities for them.
Narrating her experience, Asmau Isma’ila, a housewife whose husband traveled, said she lost her house and pieces of furniture, among other properties. “I didn’t pick up anything from my room, not even one piece of clothing. I am left only with what I am wearing,” she said.
Isma’ila added that she had never experienced this type of difficulty and called on the government and other humanitarian bodies to come and help them.
In response to the crisis, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has delivered relief items approved to provide succour to the victims in the affected communities.
Delivering the relief materials, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Habib Ahmed, said the relief support was provided under the instructions of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq.
Alhaji Mustapha Habib Ahmed told the communities that the Federal Government was concerned about their plight and the conditions they found themselves in. That was why relief materials were sent.
He explained that the items delivered were based on a preliminary assessment conducted by NEMA Kano Territory Office in collaboration with Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency.
He said, “I have inspected the destruction caused by the unfortunate inferno and was surprised by the number of burnt homes. It has affected the livelihoods of the people in almost all of the community.”
The DG, therefore, assured the victims that there might be further support in terms of building materials to enable them to rebuild their homes.
Ahmed maintained that the items delivered were meant to complement the initial response of relief intervention by the Jigawa State Government to the affected persons.
The president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made a donation in millions of naira to the victims of the fire disaster.
