- About 15 shops were reportedly burnt to ashes yesterday in Kwara state
- The blaze burned 15 businesses in a commercial complex consisting of 20 shops
15 shops have reportedly been burned to ashes in a shopping complex in Ilorin’s Atiba-Iyalamu Oja-Tuntun neighborhood, part of the Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The business owners have already begun to calculate their losses as a result of the fire as they make an appeal for help from the state government and rich individuals.
During the incident, it was discovered that the inferno had damaged property worth several million nairas. Local sources told journalists in Ilorin that 15 out of the 20 shops were completely destroyed in the fire.
According to additional sources, a power surge that started in one of the stores and later spread to others in the shopping center is what started the fire.
Further information revealed that no one had seen the raging inferno before a nearby Good Samaritan called the state fire service’s men to the scene.
The men of the state fire department, however, were spurred by the development to send their apparatus to the location of the tragedy in order to put out the fire before it spread.
The State Fire Service’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Hakeem Adekunle, was contacted and confirmed the event. He stated that “fire has burned 15 businesses in a commercial complex consisting of 20 shops at Atiba-Iyalamu Oja-Tuntun Area, in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.
“The fire outbreak occurred at midnight hours of yesterday and no one was able to notice the ravaging inferno on time.
“However, men of the State Fire Service were able to immediately stop the further spread of the inferno and subsequently eliminated it. Firemen were able to save the surrounding buildings from the scathed inferno.”
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He, however, urged everyone to constantly exercise caution in their daily activities, especially the market men and ladies.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Government on Monday donated 10 new patrol vehicles to the ‘Operation Harmony Tactical Team’. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the gesture will help to strengthen the security of lives and properties and build confidence within the business community.
The tactical team is a combined security outfit under the state Command of the Nigeria Police.
It is the third time the administration is giving out operational vehicles to the police to beef up security in the state. It has similarly donated patrol vehicles to other security agencies at various times.
At a brief handover ceremony of the vehicles to the Police Commissioner, Paul Odama, in Ilorin, the governor said: “We are supporting our security agencies by giving them additional equipment to make their jobs easier. As you have seen, the security issue in the country is getting better daily. We want to keep it that way.”
AbdulRazaq commended the police and other security agencies in the state for their gallantry in making Kwara one of the safest states in Nigeria.
“Kwara State is arguably the safest state in Nigeria. We are doing our best to keep it that way by ensuring that the citizens remain safe. And part of what we need to do is to keep supporting our security agencies. I thank them for the work they have been doing to allow us to sleep with our eyes closed at night. We are truly grateful for the efforts,” he said.
Odama appreciated the governor for always responding to their operational needs and promised not to let the state government and the people of the state down on their duties.
“I am really thankful to your Excellency the Governor of Kwara State for giving us these vehicles. As you rightly said, Kwara State is one of the most peaceful states in the country presently. And we need to keep that position and even improve on it,” he said.
He also thanked the Inspector General of Police (IF), Alkali Baba Usman, for playing an important role in this respect, and for making sure that every part of the country is properly policed.
