Fire kills one, destroys 32 motorcycles, 649 shops in Cross River

By Frank Ulom

Two tragic fire incidents have claimed one life as well as destroyed 32 motorcycles and 649 shops in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State.

This was disclosed by Hon. James Anam, Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in a statement on Saturday, 13th April 2024.

CONVERSEER reports that one of the fire incidents which occurred on Monday, 8th April 2024, around 10 PM destroyed several shops in Ikom market.

Anam, who led a team comprising of Department of State Services (DSS), Red Cross, representatives from Ikom Local Government Area, market leaders, and the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Uyo, to assess the disaster, said 620 shops were affected in over five lines of the market.

“The team was taken round the five lines that were affected in the market, and it was observed that the severity of the fire was beyond the coping capacity of the market traders.

“The incident destroyed/affected shops, goods worth millions of naira and cash was also burnt.

“The fire disaster affected over five lines (Togo, Gombe, Lagos, Italian, and Onitsha lines), containing 120 shops in each line, which amounts to a total of about 620 shops in all. Generally, the livelihoods of the affected market traders were seriously impacted,” Anam said.

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The SEMA DG said the team also assessed the burnt fuel tanker along Calabar Road by County Specialist Hospital, 4 Corners, Ikom, which occurred on the 9th of April 2024.

Anam said the fuel tanker incident “took a life, damaged 32 motorcycles, and burnt over 29 shops along the roadside.”

During the assessment, Pastor Moris Ewonkom, Ikom Market Leader and his executives as well as a representative from the Local Government Area, Mr Ajom David, appealed for assistance from the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the disaster.

“The collaborative efforts of government agencies, emergency responders, and community stakeholders in assessing the damage and coordinating response activities demonstrate the commitment to addressing the immediate needs of the affected population and working towards building resilience in the face of disasters,” the statement by DG SEMA added.

Check out photos of the disaster below.