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Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang has visited the Jos Terminus Market to commiserate with hundreds of traders who lost their goods to a late-night Wednesday inferno.
According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Gyang Bere, the governor’s visit on Thursday was to sympathise with the victims of the fire outbreak and assess the damage.
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Mr Mutfwang said the incident caused a significant setback for many families and businesses when the state faced numerous security and economic challenges. He pledged his administration’s support to those affected.
“I want to sincerely commiserate with all the traders who lost their goods. It is a huge setback, but I assure you that the government, in collaboration with the Jos North Local Government Council and your union, will explore ways to support you in rebuilding and restarting your businesses,” he said.
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He further assured residents that the government would take concrete steps to rehabilitate and secure the site of the incident in the collective interest of the Plateau people.
Cause of fire
The governor said the reports he received from the security agencies suggest an electrical spark likely caused the fire.
“I have been duly briefed by security agencies that the fire was likely caused by an electrical spark, a risk exacerbated by the nature of the makeshift structures erected around the premises of the burnt Jos Main Market. It is painful that a moment of carelessness or negligence could lead to such devastating consequences,” the governor said.
He appealed for the traders’ cooperation as the government explores safer, more structured alternatives for business operations across the Jos metropolis.
He said his administration was committed to ensuring residents do not fall deeper into poverty.
“We will not fold our arms. We are already considering safer, well-planned markets across the city, and you will be informed of the government’s decisions as soon as consultations are concluded,” he added.
Fire incident
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the fire, which began late Tuesday night, left hundreds of shops burnt and traders in despair.
The fire engulfed a section where traders resettled after the government chased them away from the roadside last year.
In the section, traders sell used clothes (Gwanjo or Okrika), shoes and baby clothes in stores constructed with wood and zinc.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that some persons in the town have raised speculations of arson, raising fear of unrest among residents. However, they have provided no evidence to support their allegation.
In his initial statement on Wednesday, Mr Mutfwang called for calm and vigilance and cautioned against actions that could threaten the peace and unity in the state.
Traders count losses
According to Mustapha Ibrahim, the market chairman, more than 500 shops were lost, and goods worth over N1 billion were destroyed.
Mr Ibrahim said the fire began at 11 p.m., with the cause unknown.
However, he expressed concern over the fire service’s response, claiming that firefighters failed to show up despite personally visiting their office on Masallacin Juma’a Street.
“After calling them, there was no response. I went to their office and found all operational vehicles grounded. I then contacted Hon. Adamu Aliyu, our representative in the Plateau State House of Assembly, who contacted the Government House. Eventually, one fire truck was dispatched from Bukuru,” he said.
READ ALSO: Fire engulfs Jos Terminus Market
Market section sealed
This newspaper gathered that the inferno site was sealed off Thursday morning, and soldiers were deployed to the scene.
One trader, Nasir Abdulrazak, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, said some stores unaffected by the fire were also looted before dawn on Wednesday.
“Even the shops that didn’t burn, some people turned their goods into palliatives before morning,” he said.
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