There was a fire outbreak at an electronic shop owned by Mohammed Abba Malam, the Chairman of the Electronics Sellers Association, in Monday Market, Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire started around 7 pm on Monday and destroyed home appliances worth millions of naira.
Confirming the incident to Punch on Tuesday, the Spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, said the police, following a distress call, dispatched its men to the area and placed them on alert to avoid stealing property during the fire outbreak.
“The shop belongs to one Mohammed Abba Malam, the Chairman of the Electronics Sellers Association in Monday market. In the evening yesterday, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Dandal, Yakubu Muhammad, received a call from the management of the Monday market in Babanlaye that there was a fire incident.
“Luckily enough, the police were the first respondent. They condoned the area to deter the stealing of properties and other items and called the fire service. Together, they were able to put down the fire,” Daso said.
He further added that it was only the Chairman’s shop that was destroyed, and no casualty was recorded.
A trader in the area, Hassan Abdullahi, also confirmed that no lives were lost, but goods were brought down before the swift response from police operatives and fire service personnel at the federal and state levels.
As of the time this report was filed, the cause of the fire and the estimated value of property lost have yet to be determined.
“I already left the market yesterday when the incident happened. I left on time to go for breakfast. But this morning, I saw how everywhere was flaming. Though there is no fire anymore, the burnt shops aren’t that many. It is the shop of the Chairman only,” a market source confirmed.
