A fire outbreak has destroyed properties worth millions of naira at the Wurukum rice mill market near the River Benue bridge in Makurdi.
The fire, which started in the early hours of Monday, was quickly contained by firefighters, preventing it from spreading to other shops. However, several shops were affected, with processed and unprocessed rice, milling machines, and other goods completely destroyed.
One of the victims, Mercy Hanmaikyur, said she lost about N10 million in the fire. “I opened this shop last December after investing about N10 million. I had three machines—a de-stoning machine, a rice polishing machine—and many bags of processed and unprocessed rice. Everything was burnt,” she said.
Another victim, Iorwa Jeremiah, also lamented his loss. “I got a call in the early hours of today. By the time I arrived, I saw other shop owners with firefighters who were trying to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done,” he said.
Chairman of the Wurukum rice mill market, Terva Igyar, confirmed that a few shops were burnt, along with a motorcycle, about six milling machines, and several bags of rice.
He added that he had spoken with officials of Makurdi Local Government and other stakeholders, who promised to visit the market to assess the damage before estimating the total loss.
The traders ruled out electricity as the cause of the fire, stating that their shops were not connected to any power supply.
Victims of the incident have appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia for assistance to help them recover from their losses.
