N25m Furniture Destroyed as Fire Razes Abuja Market

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Fire has razed Kugbo Furniture Market in Abuja, destroying about 39 shops and furniture worth over N25 million.

Some of the furniture makers, whose wares were burnt, said they got to know about the fire at about 12 midnight from the guards on duty.

Chairman of Kugbo Furniture Market, Austin Onuh, whose shop was also burnt by the inferno, said the incident occurred in the wee hours of yesterday when the shop-owners had closed for the day.

He lamented that the destroyed furniture was contracted out to the traders by their customers. “We are yet to determine the cause of the inferno, but furniture worth over N25 million was lost to the fire. Some of us here just returned from the Christmas and New Year celebrations, and started work that our customers gave us, but this morning we only came to see ashes,” Onuh said in an emotion-laden tone.

He appealed to the FCT Administration, private individuals and corporate organisations to provide humanitarian assistance to enable them overcome the losses.

Another victim, Timothy Eze, said an estimated N8 million worth furniture was destroyed by the fire in his shop. “Apart from the furniture, industrial machine, generators with several working equipment that worth millions of naira were also burnt,” he said.

Vincent Ngutsen, another victim, said over N7 million finished and unfinished furniture were destroyed in his shop located at the same area. He added that despite the efforts of the rescuers living around the area and the fire fighters, they could not to salvage anything.