Victims of Katsina Market Inferno Lose N50m Daily

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

A human right group, International Human Rights Movement yesterday claimed that victims of Katsina State Central Market fire inferno are incurring losses of N50 million daily over the inability of state government to reconstruct the market.

The movement Ambassador in Nigeria, Salisu Musa, while addressing journalists in Katsina, said the scenario has forced over 2,668 persons to lose their means of survival.

THISDAY reports that no fewer than 685 traders lost properties worth N902.1 million to the March 22 fire incident at the Central Market. Poor and rampant electricity connections were said to be responsible for the natural disaster.

The hundreds of the affected traders are now using temporary sheds to conduct their commercial activities in the market.

Musa said: “International Human Right Movement made an investigation and found out that on a daily basis the marketers are incurring losses of over N50 million as a result of not giving the victims of the fire outbreaks permission to reconstruct their shops.

“We also found out that over 2,668 persons lost their means of livelihood as each of the affected shops have at least four—five assistants and labourers which now have no means of getting food to eat or feed their families”.

He called on the state government to hasten the reconstruction of the market or allow the affected traders to reconstruct their shops in order to fully commence their commercial activities in the market.

He equally admonished the state government to look into the possibility of utilising the moribund Dubai Market, which they said, would alter the economic growth and reduce unemployment in the state.

Meanwhile, efforts by THISDAY to speak with the Special Adviser to the Governor Aminu on Market Development, Abubakar Katsina, on the development went futile as he couldn’t pick nor respond to text messages sent to his telephone line as of press time.