Traders at the Marine Base Timber market in the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State, have alleged sabotage in Saturday’s fire incident which razed part of the market.
Three residential buildings, shops and a transformer belonging to the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) were consumed in the inferno.
The fire was however put off by the combined efforts of the Marine Base Community and the Rivers State Fire Service.
Some traders who claimed sabotage in the incident alleged of previous attempts by some miscreants to set the market on fire last December, but were rebuffed by traders.
They noted that, these miscreants seized the opportunity of the closure of the market for the holidays to set it on fire.
Speaking to The Tide, one of the affected traders, Mr. Nalo Prince stressed the need for government to fence the market to check the movement of persons in the area.
Prince also claimed that, he had lost properties worth millions of Naira and urged for compensation.
Also speaking, another trader, Mr. Sunday Udoh, said that he heard of the incident shortly after leaving the market to the house.
Udoh also claimed that he had lost all his properties to the Fire incident and urged for compensation.
Another trader who spoke under anonymity claimed that, his shops which he built last November were razed in the incident.
A team of policemen were seen keeping watch as the traders scampered in various directions to save their goods from the rampaging fire.
It would be recalled that fire incidents have become a recurring issue in the Marine Base Timber Market as no year passes without such incidents leading to an attempt by the Port Harcourt City Local Government to relocate the market.
Iragunima Benice