The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it will launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sunday morning inferno at one of Abuja’s high scale shopping mall, Next Cash n Carry.
In the inferno, Blueprint gathered that goods and property estimated at billions of naira were lost.
Located in Jahi District of the nation’s capital city, the fire, according to eyewitnesses, reportedly started between 6 and 8.00am.
However, the in-house fire-fighting truck was said to have developed fault and could not be used, leaving the facility managers to wait for emergency services to turn out.
FCT Minister Muhammad Musa Bello, who expressed shock and sadness over the inferno, said the administration would commence a probe into the incident.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Anthony Ogunleye, the minister also commiserated with the management and staff of the supermarket and the FCT business community over the unfortunate incident.
“The Minister commended the FCT Fire Service, the Federal Fire Service, the Fire Service Departments of the Nigerian Navy, Air Force, Guards Brigade and Julius Berger Nig. PLC that responded with their fire-fighting equipment.
“He equally commended the FCT FEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, Security agencies and other responders for their efforts in containing the blaze.
“Malam Bello also assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire incident in an effort to prevent a reoccurrence in any other business establishment within the FCT,” the statement added.
Spokeswoman of the Federal Fire Service FFS, Ugo Huan also confirmed the incident and urged motorists to consider using alternative routes while the inferno lasted.
“Next Cash n Carry Store in Jahi, Abuja is currently on fire. The Federal Fire Service has turned out fire fighters to the scene, who are currently fighting the fire.
“The Public are to take note and avoid that route”, she said in a text message to one of our correspondents.”
Also, Director, Forecasting Response Mitigation in the FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, said the agency received a distress call around 9:45am and a team was immediately dispatched to the location.
She said as at the time of the report, there was no casualty.
On her part, spokesman of the agency, Nkechi Isa, said upon receiving the distress call, FERMA “immediately activated all responders, including the Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, FCT police Command, Department of State Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Emergency Management Agency and the armed forces.
“Others were Julius Berger, NNPC, and other private corporate entities in the Federal Capital City FCC.”
She quoted Director General FEMA Alhaji Abbas Idriss as dismissing reports of looting at the premises.
“Immediately the agency got to the scene of the incident, the security cordoned the area and fire fighting began. There was no looting whatsoever as being speculated by some people in the Social Media.
“What we saw on social media was staff of Next Cash n Carry trying to salvage the goods using trolleys. Nothing was taken out of the premises,” she further quoted Idriss as saying.
Idriss also said investigations were ongoing to ascertain the immediate cause of the fire.
He further said no life was lost to the incident neither was anyone within the premises injured.
The FERMA boss appealed to business owners in the territory to factor in the risk element in their business plans, noting that fire trucks were hampered by limited access within the shopping mall.
Looting spree
Notwithstanding FERMA’s position that there was no looting, Blueprint gathered via a 30-second video clip seen by our reporter that it was a looting spree for some people.
The video showed looters running in and out of the burning supermarket.
Items such as bottled water, packets of minerals, mattresses, plasma tv, and computer sets were being carried away by the looters.
In the same video, a female looter was seen telling others coming out of the supermarket with items they were carting away from the supermarket, “una well done o,” as she made her way into the supermarket.
Also, one of the looters could be heard telling another one in Igbo language; “hold the item in your hand very well ooh.”
Furthermore, Blueprint saw some under aged as well as adults who were obviously not the company workers, struggling to cart away some items while efforts were on to put out the fire.
