C’River: 100s displaced as fire razes 42-room apartment in Ikom

By Frank Ulom

Not fewer than 100 occupants of a 42-room apartment located at #9 Deeper Life Church Road, Four Corners, Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River have been displaced as they recounted their losses after fire razed down the entire building.

The fire incident, CONVERSEER gathered occurred on Thursday (7th March), leaving behind no pin as every property inside was burnt to ashes. Everyone occupying the house is rendered homeless.

Giving an account of what caused the inferno, King and Churchill Agbor Bassey (on behalf of the family and owners of the house) said a leakage from a cooking gas cylinder belonging to one of the occupants lit up the house.

“The cause was from a leakage in a tenant’s gas cylinder, which quickly grew into a raging fire that consumed the building”, they said.

The two brothers said their effort to contact the Ikom Division of the State Fire Service was in vain, “as fire-fighting vehicles and equipment at the unit were said to be in bad condition.”

They said, though no life was lost but the only property of their father is gone, describing the incident as “a challenging time for the family, amid a difficult economic situation.”

The duo added that “the fire has brought us and the tenants to our knees as the building and properties lost were worth several millions of naira.”

The Bassey’s further called on government authorities, organisations and well-meaning individuals to come to their aid in whichever way they can.

Meanwhile, Charity Peter Egbe, Ushie Agabi, Manyo Amba Bebia, and all the displaced tenants, said, “The tragic incident has broad untold hardship on us and our households, as it claimed properties and our means of livelihood.”

They also sought the support of the government and other well-meaning agencies and individuals to salvage them from such misery.

CONVERSEER reports that man-made disaster is one of the leading cause of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.