National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
By:Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,Yenagoa.
The Swali ultramodern market in Yenagoa,the Bayelsa state capital early hours of Friday was gutted by an inferno.
Reports reaching us has it that the cause of the incident is yet unknown just as further sources alleged that the fire would have been caused by a suspected drug addict around the abbartoir wing of the market which ranks as the largest daily market in the state.
We gathered that the inferno started at a refuse site where hard drugs addicts have recently turned into there hang out zone.
An witness who relayed his account to us with the condition of anonymity says that even the fire service which was earlier alerted to salvage the situation never arrived on time,making the inferno to gut no fewer than 15 shops located close to the starting point of the fire.
Though the fire fighters finally put off the fire, traders struggling to safe their goods from being totally consumed by the inferno sustained various degrees of injuries.
Presently no life has been reported lost,but those injured are receiving treatment in various health facilities in the state.
Speaking to Newsmen,the chairman Swali ultra modern market, Jackson Bobra said that fire must have emaneted from a nearby bush around the market where hoodlums smoke marijuana and other illicit drugs.
“This afternoon we had fire incident in the market. We traced the fire to a near by bush near the market fence where drug addicts and other hoodlums hide smoking illicit drugs.I suspect they are the cause of the fire.” He said.
It would be recalled that the Swali ultramodern market located in Swali community of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa state was built by the late Governor DSP Alamieyeseigh’s administration after the demolition and conversion of the former Oyoyo market situated at Ovom which served as the former major market in Yenagoa to a civil servant Housing Estate following series of hoodlums attacks and other forms of criminality.
